Antibodies to vla-1

ABSTRACT

Antibodies that specifically bind to VLA-1 integrin and methods of using these antibodies to treat immunological disorders in a subject. Also included are crystal structures of complexes formed by VLA-1 antibodies and their ligands, and VLA-1 antagonists and agonists identified by using the structure coordinates of these structures.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 12/727,965, filed Mar. 19, 2010 (allowed), which is a divisionalapplication of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/015,213, filed Jan. 16, 2008(which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,723,073 on May 25, 2010), which is adivisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/474,832, filedOct. 14, 2003 (which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,358,054 on Apr. 15,2008), which is the National Stage filing under 35 U.S.C. §371 ofInternational Application No. PCT/US02/11521, filed Apr. 12, 2002, whichclaims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional applicationNos. 60/283,794, filed Apr. 13, 2001, and 60/303,689, filed Jul. 6,2001.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to antibodies to VLA-1 integrin and the use ofthese antibodies in treating inflammatory diseases and otherimmunological disorders.

This invention also relates to the crystal structure of the complexbetween one such antibody and the α1-I domain of VLA-1, and to the useof this structural information for computational drug design.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Integrins are a superfamily of cell surface receptors that mediatecell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion. These proteins are known to provideanchorage as well as signals for cellular growth, migration anddifferentiation during development and tissue repair. They have beenimplicated in immune and inflammatory processes.

Integrins are heterodimeric proteins composed of two noncovalentlylinked polypeptide chains, α and β. The amino terminus of each chainforms a globular head that contributes to interchain linking and toligand binding. The globular heads are connected to the transmembranesegments by stalks. The cytoplasmic tails are usually less than 50 aminoacid residues long. Integrin subfamilies were originally defined on thebasis of which β subunit was used to form the heterodimers. Theβ1-containing integrins are also called VLA molecules, referring to“very late activation” antigens. VLA-1 to VLA-6 refer to β1 subfamilymembers containing α1 to α6 (i.e., CD49a to CD49f), respectively. Forgeneral review, see Cellular and Molecular Immunology, eds. Abul K.Abbas et al., W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, Pa., 2000.

Collagen (both types I and IV) and laminin are known ligands of α1β1integrin (i.e., VLA-1). VLA-1 has been implicated in cell adhesion andmigration on collagen (Keely et al., 1995, J. Cell Sci. 108:595-607; andGotwals et al., 1996, J. Clin. Invest. 97:2469-2477); in promotingcontraction and reorganization of collagen matrices, a criticalcomponent of wound healing (Gotwals et al., supra; and Chiro, 1991, Cell67:403-410); and in regulating the expression of genes involved inextracellular matrix remodeling (Riikonen et al., 1995, J. Biol. Chem.270:1-5; and Langholz et al., 1995, J. Cell Biol. 131:1903-1915). Thus,improper regulation of VLA-1 may result in certain pathologicalconditions such as fibrosis.

Moreover, it has been suggested that VLA-1 may play a role in Tcell/monocyte-driven diseases. Anti-VLA-1 antibodies block T-celldependent cytokine expression (Miyake et al., 1993, J. Exp. Med.177:863-868). Expression of VLA-1 is increased in persistentlyactivated, 2 to 4 week old cultured T cells (Hemler et al., 1985, Eur.J. Immunol. 15:502-508). VLA-1 is also expressed on a high percentage ofT cells isolated from the synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis(Hemler et al., 1986, J. Clin. Invest. 78:692-702).

Several crystal structures of integrin α subunits have been determined,including the structures of the α2-I domain of α2β1 (PDB accession codelaox; Emsley et al., 1997, J. Biol. Chem. 272:28512-28517); the α1-Idomain of rat α1β1 (PDB accession number 1ck4; Nolte et al., 1999, FEBSLett. 452:379-85; WO 00/20459); the α1 subunit of human α1β1 (PDBaccession code 1qc5; Rich et al., 1999, J. Biol. Chem. 274:24906-24913);the αL-I and αM-I domains; and vWF-A3 (Lee et al., 1995, Cell80:631-635; Lee et al., 1995, Structure 3:1333-1340; Qu et al., 1995,Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:10277-10281; Qu et al., 1996, Structure4:931-942). The α2β1 structure revealed a helix (i.e., the C-helix) thatcreated a trench or groove on one face of the protein at the metal-ionbinding site (Emsley et al., supra). The crystal structure of the α2-Idomain complexed to a short collagen-based triple helical peptiderevealed that the collagen-based peptide was bound to that trench, wherethe α2-I amino acids that made intermolecular or metal contacts includedAsp151, Asn154, Tyr157, Gln215, Asp219, Leu220, Thr221, Asp254, Glu256,His258, Tyr285, Leu286, Asn289, Leu291, Asn295, and Lys298 (PDBaccession code 1dzi; Emsley et al., 2000, Cell 101:47-56; WO 01/73444).The amino acid numbering immediately above is based on PDB accessioncode 1dzi and herein referred to as “crystal numbering.” The crystalstructures of the rat and human α1-I domains revealed a similar trench.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides anti-VLA-1 antibodies and methods ofusing these antibodies to treat a variety of inflammatory andimmunological disorders.

Specifically, the invention embraces an antibody that specifically bindsto VLA-1 (e.g., human VLA-1). This antibody contains light chaincomplementarity determining regions (“CDR”s) defined by amino acidresidues 24 to 33, 49 to 55, and 88 to 96 of SEQ ID NO:1, and/or heavychain complementarity determining regions defined by amino acid residues31 to 35, 50 to 65, and 98 to 107 of SEQ ID NO:2. These CDRs may containmutations (e.g., deletions, insertions and/or substitutions) in thenon-antigen-contacting portions, as determined from the crystalstructure disclosed herein, without affecting the VLA-1-binding activityof the antibody. Exemplary mutations are S24N, G92S and D101A in thelight chain CDRs, and G55S in the heavy chain CDR2. In one embodiment,the antibody of this invention contains a light chain variable domainsequence of SEQ ID NO:1 and/or a heavy chain variable domain sequence ofSEQ ID NO:2.

In a related embodiment, the antibody of this invention contains thesame heavy and light chain polypeptide sequences as an antibody producedby hybridoma mAQC2, deposited on Apr. 18, 2001 at the American TypeCulture Collection (“ATCC”), 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va.20110-2209 and having ATCC accession number PTA3273. (All ATCC depositsrecited herein were made under the Budapest Treaty). This antibody canbe produced by, for example, hybridoma mAQC2, or cells containingnucleic acid sequences isolated from that hybridoma that encode theheavy and light chains of the mAQC2 monoclonal antibody.

In another embodiment, the antibody is a humanized antibody comprisingat least one (e.g., 2, 3, 4, or 5) of the following residues in itslight chain: Q1, L4, P46, W47 and Y71; or at least one (e.g., 2, 3, 4,5, 6 or 7) of the following residues in its heavy chain: D1, V12, S28,F29, A49, T93, R94 (Kabat numbering convention). For instance, theantibody comprises Q1, L4 and Y71 in the light chain; and/or (i) F29,A49, T93 and R94, or (ii) A49 and T93, in the heavy chain.

The humanized antibody of this invention may contain a light chainvariable domain sequence defined by amino acid residues 1 to 106 of SEQID NO:3, and/or a heavy chain variable domain sequence defined by aminoacid residues 1 to 118 of SEQ ID NO:4. The humanized antibody maycomprise the same heavy and/or light chain polypeptide sequences as anantibody produced by cell line hAQC2 (ATCC accession number PTA3275;deposited on Apr. 18, 2001).

In another embodiment, the humanized antibody of this invention maycontain a mutation (e.g., deletion, substitution or addition) at one ormore (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8) of certain positions in the heavychain such that an effector function of the antibody (e.g., the abilityof the antibody to bind to a Fc receptor or a complement factor) isaltered without affecting the antibody's ability to bind to VLA-1 (U.S.Pat. No. 5,648,260). These heavy chain positions include, withoutlimitation, residues 234, 235, 236, 237, 297, 318, 320 and 322 (EUnumbering system). The humanized antibody can, for instance, contain themutations L234A (i.e., replacing leucine at position 234 of anunmodified antibody with alanine) and L235A (EU numbering system) in itsheavy chain. In one related embodiment, the antibody comprises the sameheavy chain polypeptide sequence as an antibody produced by cell linehsAQC2 (ATCC accession number PTA3356; deposited on May 4, 2001).

In yet another embodiment, the humanized antibody of this invention maycontain a mutation (e.g., deletion or substitution) at an amino acidresidue that is a site for glycosylation, such that the glycosylationsite is eliminated. Such an antibody may be clinically beneficial forhaving reduced effector functions or other undesired functions whileretaining its VLA-1 binding affinity. Mutations of glycosylation sitescan also be beneficial for process development (e.g., protein expressionand purification). For instance, the heavy chain of the antibody maycontain the mutation N297Q (EU numbering system) such that the heavychain can no longer be glycosylated at this site. In one relatedembodiment, the humanized antibody may comprise the same heavy chainpolypeptide sequence as an antibody produced by cell line haAQC2 (ATCCaccession number PTA3274; deposited on Apr. 18, 2001).

In still other embodiments, the heavy and/or light chains of theantibody of this invention contain mutations that increase affinity forbinding to VLA-1 and thereby increase potency for treatingVLA-1-mediated disorders.

Embraced in this invention are also a composition containing an antibodyof the invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier; an isolatednucleic acid containing a coding sequence for SEQ ID NO:1; an isolatednucleic acid containing a coding sequence for SEQ ID NO:2; an isolatednucleic acid containing a coding sequence for the light chain of anantibody produced by hybridoma mAQC2; an isolated nucleic acidcontaining a coding sequence for the heavy chain of an antibody producedby hybridoma mAQC2; an isolated nucleic acid containing a codingsequence for the light chain of an antibody produced by cell line hAQC2;an isolated nucleic acid containing a coding sequence for the heavychain of an antibody produced by cell line hAQC2; an isolated nucleicacid containing a coding sequence for the heavy chain of an antibodyproduced by cell line haAQC2; an isolated nucleic acid containing acoding sequence for the heavy chain of an antibody produced by cell linehsAQC2; an isolated nucleic acid containing a coding sequence forresidues 1 to 106 of SEQ ID NO:3; an isolated nucleic acid containing acoding sequence for residues 1 to 118 of SEQ ID NO:4; cells of hybridomamAQC2; cells from cell line hAQC2; cells from cell line haAQC2; andcells from cell line hsAQC2.

The present invention also provides a method of treating a subject withan immunological disorder mediated by VLA-1, including administering tothe subject an effective amount of an antibody of this invention. Forinstance, this method is used to treat a human subject to palliate,ameliorate, stabilize, reverse, prevent, slow or delay progression ofthe disorder. Alternatively, this method is used prophylactically totreat a human subject at risk for developing this immunological disorderso as to prevent or delay the onset of the disorder. An “effectiveamount” of the composition can be administered in one or more dosages.

VLA-1 mediated immunological disorders include, but are not limited to,disorders in which the VLA-1 activity level is elevated in one or moretissues as compared to a normal subject. Examples of such disorders areskin related conditions (e.g., psoriasis, eczema, burns, dermatitis, andabnormal proliferation of hair follicle cells), fibrosis (e.g., kidneyor lung fibrosis), allergic rhinitis, respiratory distress syndrome,asthma, bronchitis, tendinitis, bursitis, fever, migraine headaches,gastrointestinal conditions (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn'sdisease, gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis and colorectalcancer), vascular diseases (e.g., atherosclerosis), periarteritisnodosa, thyroiditis, aplastic anemia, Hodgkin's Disease, rheumaticfever, osteoarthritis, autoimmune diseases (e.g., type I diabetes,myasthenia gravis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus,and multiple sclerosis), sarcoidosis, nephrotic syndrome, renal failure,Bechet's Syndrome, polymyositis, gingivitis, hypersensitivity (e.g.,delayed type hypersensitivity or immediate hypersensitivity), graft andtransplant rejections, graft versus host disease (GVHD), conjunctivitis,swelling occurring after injury, myocardial ischemia, and endotoxinshock syndrome.

The present invention also provides a method of determining the level ofVLA-1 in a tissue (e.g., tissue specimen and body fluid) comprisingcontacting the tissue (e.g., in vivo or in vitro) with the antibody ofthe invention, and then detecting the binding of the antibody to thetissue, thereby determining the level of VLA-1 in the tissue.

As used herein, the antibody of this invention can be, for instance, amurine antibody, a humanized antibody, or a chimeric antibody. It can bea whole antibody (i.e., with two full length light chains and two fulllength heavy chains) of any isotype and subtypes (e.g., IgM, IgD, IgG₁,IgG₂, IgG₃, IgG₄, IgE, IgA₁, and IgA₂; with either kappa or lambda lightchain). Alternatively, the antibody of this invention refers to anantigen-binding fragment (e.g., Fab, F(ab′)₂, and single chain Fv) of awhole antibody.

The present invention further provides crystallizable compositions andcrystals of complexes formed by a rat-human chimeric α1-I domain (mutantRΔH) and a hAQC2 Fab fragment, and methods for using such compositionsand crystals. This invention also provides the structure coordinates andbinding sites of the chimeric domain and the hAQC2 Fab fragment. Theatomic coordinates derived from the crystal structure described hereinprovide a structural basis for the biological activities of hAQC2 aswell as a basis for rational design of VLA-1 agonists or antagonistswith predicted biological activities (e.g., small molecule compounds orantibodies such as hAQC2 variants).

The crystal structure disclosed herein is the first crystal structure ofan α1-I domain of an α1β1 integrin/Fab complex. This structure shows theresidues critical for Fab binding by α1-I domain. In addition, the Fabbinds in the putative collagen-binding site and inhibits collagenbinding. Amino acid residues found in the binding site on the α1-Idomain include Asp154, Ser156, Asn157, Ser158, Tyr160, Glu192, Glu218,Arg219, Gly220, Gly221, Arg222, Gln223, Thr224, Asp257, His261, Asn263,Arg291, and Leu294 (crystal numbering). Residues on the Fab fragmentfound to bind to the α1-I domain include light chain residues Asn30,Tyr48, Trp90, Ser91, Asn93 and Trp95, and heavy chain residues Ser30,Arg31, Trp47, Ser52, Gly53, His56, Tyr58, Phe99, Gly100 and Asp101(crystal numbering).

This invention also provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of a molecular complex, where themolecular complex is defined by the set of structure coordinates of acomplex of a chimeric I domain of an α1β1 integrin RΔH and humanizedantibody hAQC2, according to FIG. 19; or a homologue of the molecularcomplex, the homologue having a root mean square deviation from thebackbone atoms of the amino acids of not more than 0.65 Å. The computerincludes a machine-readable data storage medium including a data storagematerial encoded with machine-readable data, where the data contains atleast a portion of the structure coordinates of the complex according toFIG. 19; a working memory for storing instructions for processing themachine-readable data; a central processing unit coupled to the workingmemory and to the machine-readable data storage medium for processingthe machine readable data into the three-dimensional representations;and a display coupled to the central-processing unit for displaying thethree-dimensional representation.

This invention further provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of a molecule or molecular complexincluding a binding site defined by structure coordinates of hAQC2 aminoacids including at least seven (e.g., 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,or 16) of light chain residues Asn30, Tyr48, Trp90, Ser91, Asn93 andTrp95, and heavy chain residues Ser30, Arg31, Trp47, Ser52, Gly53,His56, Tyr58, Phe99, Gly100 and Asp101 (crystal numbering), according toFIG. 19; or a homologue of the molecule or molecular complex, where thehomologue includes a binding site that has a root mean square deviationfrom the backbone atoms of the hAQC2 amino acids of not more than 1.10Å. This invention also provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of: a binding site defined by structurecoordinates of hAQC2 amino acids including at least seven (e.g., 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16) of light chain residues Asn30, Tyr48,Trp90, Ser91, Asn93 and Trp95, and heavy chain residues Ser30, Arg31,Trp47, Ser52, Gly53, His56, Tyr58, Phe99, Gly100 and Asp101 (crystalnumbering), according to FIG. 19; a binding site of a homologue that hasa root mean square deviation from the backbone atoms of the hAQC2 aminoacids of not more than 1.10 Å.

This invention also provides a method for identifying an inhibitor of anI domain of an integrin including the steps of using structurecoordinates of hAQC2 amino acids including at least seven (e.g., 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16) of light chain residues Asn30, Tyr48,Trp90, Ser91, Asn93 and Trp95, and heavy chain residues Ser30, Arg39,Trp47, Ser52, Gly53, His56, Tyr58, Phe99, Gly100 and Asp101 (crystalnumbering), according to FIG. 19 or ± a root mean square deviation fromthe backbone atoms of the hAQC2 amino acids not more than 1.10 Å, togenerate a three-dimensional structure of a binding site; employing thethree-dimensional structure to design or select a potential antagonist;synthesizing the potential antagonist; and contacting the potentialantagonist with hAQC2 to determine the ability of the potentialantagonist to interact with hAQC2, where the ability of the potentialantagonist to interact with hAQC2 indicates that the potentialantagonist is an inhibitor of the I domain. This invention furtherprovides an inhibitor of I domain of integrin identified by this method.

This invention also provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of a molecule or molecular complexincluding: a binding site defined by structure coordinates of I domainamino acid residues Asp 154, Ser156, Asn157, Ser158, Tyr160, Glu192,Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, Gly221, Arg222, Gln223, Thr224, Asp257, His 261,Asn263, Arg291, and Leu294 (crystal numbering), according to FIG. 19; ora homologue of the molecule or molecular complex, where the homologueincludes a second binding site that has a root mean square deviationfrom the backbone atoms of the I domain amino acids not more than 0.65Å. This invention also provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of: a first binding site defined bystructure coordinates of I domain amino acids residues Asp154, Ser156,Asn157, Ser158, Tyr160, Glu192, Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, Gly221, Arg222,Gln223, Thr224, Asp257, His261, Asn263, Arg291, and Leu294 (crystalnumbering), according to FIG. 19; or a binding site of a homologue thathas a root mean square deviation from the backbone atoms of the I domainamino acids not more than 0.65 Å.

This invention also provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of a molecule or molecular complexincluding: a binding site defined by structure coordinates of I domainamino acids including at least three of residues Glu192, Gln218, Arg219,Gly220, and Gly221 (crystal numbering), according to FIG. 19; or ahomologue of the molecule or molecular complex, where the homologueincludes a second binding site that has a root mean square deviationfrom the backbone atoms of the I domain amino acids not more than 1.0 Å.The invention further provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of a binding site defined by structurecoordinates of I domain amino acids including at least three of residuesGlu192, Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, and Gly221 (crystal numbering),according to FIG. 19; or a binding site of a homologue that has a rootmean square deviation from the backbone atoms of the I domain aminoacids not more than 1.0 Å.

This invention further provides methods for using thesethree-dimensional representations to design chemical entities thatassociate with the chimeric domain or the hAQC2 Fab fragment, orportions thereof; and act as potential inhibitors of the chimeric domainor the hAQC2 Fab fragment, or portions thereof. This invention alsorelates to compositions including chemical entities, such as inhibitorsand variants of the chimeric domain or variants of the hAQC2 Fabfragment, where such chemical entities and variants are rationallydesigned by means of the structure coordinates of the chimeric domain orthe hAQC2 Fab fragment, or binding sites. The invention further relatesto use of the above-identified chemical entities to treat or preventconditions associated with inappropriate or abnormal α1β1 activity in asubject.

This invention further provides a method for identifying an inhibitor ofan I domain of an integrin including the steps of using the structurecoordinates of I domain amino acids residues Asp154, Ser156, Asn157,Ser158, Tyr160, Glu192, Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, Gly221, Arg222, Gln223,Thr224, Asp257, His261, Asn263, Arg291, and Leu294 (crystal numbering),according to FIG. 19, to generate a three-dimensional structure of abinding site; employing the three-dimensional structure to design orselect a potential antagonist; synthesizing the potential antagonist;and contacting the potential antagonist with I domain to determine theability of the potential antagonist to interact with I domain, where theability of the potential antagonist to interact with the I domainindicates that the potential antagonist is an inhibitor of the I domain.

This invention also provides a method for identifying an inhibitor of anI domain of an integrin including the steps of using the structurecoordinates of at least three of I domain amino acids including residuesGlu192, Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, and Gly221 (crystal numbering),according to FIG. 19, or ± a root mean square deviation from thebackbone atoms of the I domain amino acids not more than 0.65 Å, togenerate a three-dimensional structure of a binding site; employing thethree-dimensional structure to design or select a potential antagonist;synthesizing the potential antagonist; and contacting the potentialantagonist with I domain to determine the ability of the potentialantagonist to interact with I domain of integrin, where the ability ofthe potential antagonist to interact with the I domain indicates thatthe potential antagonist is an inhibitor of the I domain. This inventionalso provides an inhibitor of I domain of integrin identified by thismethod.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Collagen-binding integrins α1β1 and α2β1 on activatedleukocytes. (A). Flow cytometric analysis of α1 and α2β1 integrinexpression on IL-2-activated splenocytes (d 11). Cells were labeled witheither anti-α1 mAb, anti-α2 mAb, or non-binding control mAb (greylines), and followed by FITC-anti-hamster immunoglobulin. (B) Effect ofanti-α1 and anti-α2 mAbs on leukocyte adhesion to collagen. 10⁵ IL-2activated splenocytes were treated with indicated mAbs for 15 min beforeplating onto either type IV or type I collagen-coated wells for 1 h at37° C. Adhesion was calculated as illustrated in Example 1, andexpressed as % adhesion relative to control mAb-treated cells. Adhesionassays were done in triplicate, and at least three independentexperiments were performed. One representative experiment is shown.

FIG. 2. Effect of anti-integrin mAbs on the effector phase ofdelayed-type hypersensitivity. SRBC-sensitized mice were injected i.p.with the indicated mAbs 1 h prior to SRBC challenge, Footpad thicknesswas measured 20 h after antigen challenge, and results shown as %increase in footpad thickness±SEM as illustrated in Example 2. Thesedata represent a summary of eight experiments with n=79 (PBS), 68(control hamster Ig), 68 (anti-α1), 29 (anti-α2), 18 (anti-α1+anti-α2),45 (anti-α4), 18 (anti-α5), 20 (anti-α6), and 10 (anti-[3]). The mAbsused were: Ha4/8 (control hamster Ig group 2), Ha31/8 (anti-α1), Ha1/29(anti-α2), PS/2 (anti-α4), 5H10-27 (anti-α5), GoH3 (anti-α6), and HMβ1-1 (anti-β1).

FIG. 3. Effect of anti-integrin mAbs on the effector phase of contacthypersensitivity. FITC-sensitized mice were injected i.p. with theindicated mAbs 4 h prior to FITC challenge. Ear thickness was measuredat baseline and 24 h later, and results shown as % increase in earthickness±SEM as illustrated in Example 3. These data represent asummary of nine experiments with n=74 (PBS), 60 (control hamster Ig), 26(anti-ICAM-1), 44 (anti-α1), 44 (anti-α2), 38 (anti-α1+anti-α2), 36(anti-α4), 16 (anti-α5), 26 (anti-α4+anti-α5), 24 (anti-α6), and 22(anti-β1). The hamster mAbs used were: Ha4/8 (control hamster Ig group2), Ha31/8 (anti-α1), Ha1/29 (anti-α2), HMβ1-1 (anti-β1), 3E2(anti-ICAM-1); the rat mAbs used were: R35-95 and R35-38 (control ratIgG2a and rat IgG2b, respectively), PS/2 (anti-α4), 5H10-27 (anti-α5),GoH3 (anti-α6).

FIG. 4. Contact hypersensitivity responses in α1-deficient mice comparedto wild-type mice. FITC-sensitized mice were injected i.p. withindicated mAbs 4 h prior to FITC challenge. Ear thickness was measuredat baseline and 24 h later, and results shown as % increase in earthickness±SEM as illustrated in Example 4. Groups of four to five miceper condition were used, and all experiments were performed a minimum ofthree times. One representative experiment is shown.

FIG. 5. Effect of anti-α1 and anti-α2 mAbs on croton oil-inducednon-specific inflammation. Mice were injected i.p. with indicated mAbs 4h prior to ear painting with croton oil. Ear thickness was measured atbaseline and 24 h later, and results shown as % increase in earthickness±SEM as illustrated in Example 5. Groups of four to five miceper condition were used, and all experiments were performed a minimum ofthree times. One representative experiment is shown.

FIG. 6. Effect of anti-α1 and α2 mAbs in collagen mAb-induced arthritis.Mice were injected i.p. with anti-collagen mAbs at d 0, followed by LPSon day 3. Mice were injected i.p. with indicated mAbs every 3^(rd) daystarting on d 0. Clinical arthritis was apparent 2-3 d following LPSinjection and continued for several weeks. Each limb was evaluated on a0 to 4 scale every 3^(rd) day as illustrated in Example 6 and resultsare expressed as the mean arthritic score between d 9 and d 15 (±SEM) ofall four limbs. These data represent a summary of four experiments witheach experiment consisting of groups of three to four mice percondition.

FIG. 7. Effect of anti-α1 and α2 mAbs in collagen mAb-induced arthritis.A. Preventative treatment of mice with either anti-α1 or anti-α2 mAbdecreases arthritic score. Mice were treated with anti-collagen mAbs atd 0, followed by LPS on d 3. Arthritis was apparent by d 6 and continuedfor several weeks. Mice were treated with the indicated mAbs every3^(rd) day starting on d 0. Each limb was evaluated and scored on a 0 to4 scale every 3^(rd) day. Results are expressed as the mean arthriticscore between d 9 and d 15 (±SEM) of all four limbs (maximum score of16). Groups of 4 mice per condition were used; the average of 12experiments is shown. B. α1-deficient mice have a reduced arthriticscore comparable to anti-α1 mAb-treated wild-type mice. Experimentaldetails and scoring are as outlined above. Groups of 4 mice percondition were used; the average of 2 experiments is shown.

FIG. 8. Development of arthritis is delayed in the absence oflymphocytes and inhibition of arthritis by anti-α1 mAb occurs in theabsence of lymphocytes. Wild-type B6,129 or RAG-1-deficient B6,129 micewere treated with anti-collagen mAbs at day 0, followed by LPS on day 3.Arthritis was apparent by day 6 and continued for several weeks. Micewere treated with the indicated mAbs every 3^(rd) day starting on day 0.Each limb was evaluated and scored on a 0 to 4 scale every 3^(rd) day.Results are expressed as the mean arthritic score per limb (maximumscore of 4). Groups of 4 mice per condition were used.

FIG. 9. Dose response of anti-α1 mAb inhibition of arthritis. Wild-typeBalb/c mice were treated with anti-collagen mAbs at day 0, followed byLPS on day 3. Arthritis was apparent by day 6 and continued for severalweeks. Mice were treated i.p. with the indicated dose of either Ha4/8(isotype control) or Ha31/8 (anti-α1) mAbs every 3^(rd) day starting onday 0. Each limb was evaluated and scored on a 0 to 4 scale every 3^(rd)day. Results are expressed as the mean arthritic score per limb (maximumscore of 4). Groups of 4 mice per condition were used.

FIG. 10. Therapeutic treatment with anti-α1 mAb can decrease arthriticscore. Wild-type Balb/c mice were treated with anti-collagen mAbs at day0, followed by LPS on day 3. Arthritis was apparent by day 6 andcontinued for several weeks. Mice were treated i.p. with mAbs (250 μg)or Ig fusion protein (200 μg) every 3^(rd) day starting on day 4. Micereceived either mAb (Ha4/8 isotype control or Ha31/8 anti-α1), Ig fusionprotein (Isotype control Ig or TNF-R55-Ig) or a combination of both (250ug Ha31/8 and 200 ug TNF-R55-Ig). Each limb was evaluated and scored ona 0 to 4 scale every 3^(rd) day. Results are expressed as the meanarthritic score per limb (maximum score of 4). Groups of 4 mice percondition were used.

FIG. 11. Location of the Epitope for the anti-α1 I domain Blocking mAbs.A. Amino acid sequence of the rat (top; SEQ ID NO:63) and human (below;residues of SEQ ID NO:64, which are different from rat, are shown) α1-Idomain. The residues that comprise the MIDAS (metal ion dependentadhesion site) motif are shown in bold. The human amino acids thatreplaced the corresponding rat residues (RΔH) are shown below the ratsequence in the boxed region. For clarity, residue numbering in the textrefers to this figure, unless otherwise designated, e.g., as crystalnumbering. B. Increasing concentrations of mAb AJH10 (ATCC No. PTA-3580;deposited under the Budapest Treaty with the American Type CultureCollection, Manassas, Va., USA on Aug. 2, 2001) were bound to platescoated with 30 μg/ml human (circles), rat (triangles) or RΔH (squares)α1-I domain. Data shown is representative of three experiments.

FIG. 12. Amino acid sequence of the human α1-I domain (SEQ ID NO:64).

FIG. 13. Identification of a blocking mAb to the α1-I domain. A.Increasing concentration of mAbs AEF3 (triangles) or AJH10 (circles)were bound to plates coated with 30 μg/ml α1-I domain. B. The α1-Idomain was treated with increasing concentrations of mAb AJH10(diamonds) or mAb BGC5 (squares) and bound collagen IV (2 μg/ml) coatedplates. C. K562-α1 cell were treated with increasing concentration ofmAbs AEF3 (triangles) or AJH10 (circles) and bound to collagen IV (5μg/ml) coated plates. 45-50% of cells added to each well adhered tocollagen IV. Data shown is representative of three independentexperiments.

FIG. 14. Species Cross-reactivity of the blocking mAbs analyzed byfluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). Rabbit vascular smooth musclecells were incubated with either mAb AJH10 (bottom) or murine IgGcontrol (top) and analyzed by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS).

FIG. 15. The α1-I domain binds collagen. A. Increasing concentrations ofthe human α1-I domain were bound to plates previously coated with 1μg/ml collagen I (squares) or collagen IV (circles). Values shown havebeen corrected for background binding to BSA. B. 2 μg/ml human α1-Idomain was mixed with increasing concentration of an anti-human α1-Iintegrin antibody 5E8D9 (squares) or an anti-human α2-integrin antibodyA2IIE10 (circles), and then bound to plates previously coated with 1μg/ml collagen IV. C. Plates were coated with 1 μg/ml collagen TV or 3%BSA. α1-I domain (2 μg/ml) was subsequently bound to coated plates inthe presence of 1 mM Mn²⁺, 1 mM Mg²⁺, or 5 mM EDTA. Data shown isrepresentative of three independent experiments.

FIG. 16. Characterization of Humanized AQC2 Forms. mAQC2 (triangles),chAQC2 (circles), hAQC2 (inverted triangles) and hAQC2′ (squares) wereevaluated.

-   -   A. Inhibition of VLA-1 binding to type IV collagen.    -   B. Inhibition of α1-I domain binding to type IV collagen.    -   C. Binding to immobilized α1-I domain.    -   D. Competition with biotinylated mAQC2 for binding to        immobilized α1-I domain.

FIG. 17. Characterization of Humanized AQC2 Forms by FACS.

FIG. 18. Characterization of Humanized AQC2 Forms by FACS.

FIG. 19. Atomic structure coordinates for the α1-I domain/Fab complex,as derived by X-ray crystallography from crystals of that complex inProtein Data Bank (PDB) format. The coordinates of the two complexes inthe asymmetric unit are listed as follows.

-   -   Complex 1: molecule A=I domain of integrin        -   molecule H=heavy chain of hAQC2 Fab        -   molecule L=light chain of hAQC2 Fab        -   molecule M=Mn⁺²    -   Complex 2: molecule B=I domain of integrin        -   molecule X=heavy chain of hAQC2 Fab        -   molecule Y=light chain of hAQC2 Fab        -   molecule M=Mn⁺²

FIG. 20. I domain-Fab complex. A. Ribbon diagram of the I domain-Fabcomplex. The I domain and the antibody heavy and light chain arelabeled. The Mn⁺² ion is shown as a sphere. B. Close-up of the MIDAS(Metal-Ion-Dependent-Adhesion-Site) site showing the coordination of themetal ion (sphere) by Asp101 (crystal numbering). The protein backbonesare shown as ribbons and the side chains in the ball-and-stickrepresentation. The cylinders represent interactions between the metalion and protein atoms. The thin lines represent H-bonds. FIG. 20 wasmade with the software program RIBBONS (Carson, 1991, J. Appl. Cryst,24:958-961).

FIG. 21. A diagram of a system used to carry out the instructionsencoded by the storage medium of FIGS. 22 and 23.

FIG. 22. A cross section of a magnetic storage medium.

FIG. 23. A cross section of an optically-readable data storage medium.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It is a discovery of the present invention that an antibody to anintegrin (e.g., VLA-1) and fragment thereof, particularly, anα1-integrin subunit, can block the interaction of pro-inflammatoryleukocytes with components of the extracellular matrix including, butnot limited to collagens, laminin and fibronectin. This discoveryillustrates the importance of adhesion molecules of the integrin family,particularly α1β1, in the peripheral tissue environment duringconditions related to inflammation. It also extends the role ofintegrins family and fragments thereof in inflammation beyond leukocyteattachment and extravasation at the endothelial interface byhighlighting the importance of the matrix-rich peripheral tissueenvironment to immune responses and it reveals peripheral tissues as anew point of intervention for adhesion based therapies.

I. Anti-Integrin Antibodies

The methods of the present invention contemplate the use of antibodiesto integrins where the integrins contemplated include molecules whichcomprise a β chain, including but not limited to β1, β2, β3, β4, β5, β6,β7, β8, non-covalently bound to an α chain, including but not limited toα1, α2, α3, α4, α5, α6, α7, α8, α9, α10, αV, αL, αM, αX, αD, αE, αIIb.Examples of the various integrins contemplated for use in the inventioninclude, but are not limited to:

-   -   α1β1, α2β1, α3β1, α4β1, α5β1, α6β1, α7β1, α8β1, α9β1, α10β1,        αVβ1, αLβ1, αMβ1, αXβ1, αDβ1, αIIbβ1, αEβ1;    -   α1β2, α2β2, α3β2, α4β2, α5β2, α6β2, α7β2, α8β2, α9β2, α10β2,        αVβ2, αLβ2, αMβ2, αXβ2, αDβ2, αIIbβ2, αEβ2;    -   α1β3, α2β3, α3β3, α4β3, α5β3, α6β3, α7β3, α8β3, α9β3, α10β3,        αVβ3, αLβ3, αMβ3, αXβ3, αDβ3, αIIbβ3, αEβ3;    -   α1β4, α2β4, α3β4, α4β4, α5β4, α6β4, α7β4, α8β4, α9β4, α10β4,        αVβ4, αLβ4, αMβ4, αXβ4, αDβ4, αIIbβ4, αEβ4;    -   α1β5, α2β5, α3β5, α4β5, α5β5, α6β5, α7β5, α8β5, α9β5, α10β5,        αVβ5, αLβ5, αMβ5, αXβ5, αDβ5, αIIbβ5, αEβ5;    -   α1β6, α2β6, α3β6, α4β6, α5β6, α6β6, α7β6, α8β6, α9β6, α10β6,        αVβ6, αLβ6, αMβ6, αXβ6, αDβ6, αIIbβ6, αEβ6;    -   α1β7, α2β7, α3β7, α4β7, α5β7, α6β7, α7β7, α8β7, α9β7, α10β7,        αVβ7, αLβ7, αMβ7, αXβ7, αDβ7, αIIbβ7, αEβ7;    -   α1β8, α2β8, α3β8, α4β8, α5β8, α6β8, α7β8, α8β8, α9β8, α10β8,        αVβ8, αLβ8, αMβ8, αXβ8, αDβ8, αIIbβ8, αEβ8;

The methods of the present invention also contemplate the use ofantibodies to integrin fragments including for example antibodies to a βchain alone, including but not limited to β1, β2, β3, β4, β5, β6, β7,β8, as well as an α chain alone, including but not limited to α1, α2,α3, α4, α5, α6, α7, α8, α9, α10, αV, αL, αM, αX, αD, αE, αIIb. Inaddition, the methods of the present invention further contemplate theuse of antibodies to integrin fragments including for example antibodiesto the I domain of the α chain, including but not limited to the Idomain from α1β1 (Briesewitz et al., 1993, J. Biol. Chem. 268:2989);α2β1 (Takada and Hemler, 1989, J Cell Biol 109:397), αLβ2 (Larson etal., 1989, J Cell Biol 108:703), αMβ2 (Corbi et al., 1988, J Biol Chem263:12403), αXβ2 (Corbi et al., 1987, EMBO J 6:4023), αDβ2 (Grayson etal., 1988, J Exp Med 188:2187), αEβ7 (Shaw et al., 1994, J Biol Chem269:6016). In one embodiment, the α1-I domain antigenic determinantincludes an amino acid sequence of at least 6 contiguous amino acids,wherein the contiguous sequence is found within the sequence of FIG. 12.In a related embodiment, the contiguous sequence isVal-Gln-Arg-Gly-Gly-Arg (residues 91-96 of SEQ ID NO:64).

Methods for producing integrins for use in the present invention areknown to those of skill in the art (see, e.g., Springer et al., 1990,Nature 346:425-434).

Embodiments of the present invention further include anti-integrinpolyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. Embodiments of the presentinvention include a monoclonal antibody such an anti-α1 monoclonalantibody. Antibodies for treatment, in particular for human treatment,include human antibodies, humanized antibodies, chimeric antibodies, andantigen-binding fragments of whole antibodies such as Fab, Fab′, F(ab′)2and F(v) antibody fragments. Some antibodies of this invention may alsoinclude proteins containing one or more immunoglobulin light chainsand/or heavy chains, such as monomers and homo- or hetero-multimers(e.g., dimers or trimers) of these chains, where these chains areoptionally disulfide-bonded or otherwise cross-linked. These antibodiesmay be capable of binding to one or more antigens (e.g., α1, α2, α6 oralpha-I domain containing integrin subunits).

An α1β1 function blocking antibody as used herein refers to an antibodythat binds to the α1-I domain, for example, residues 91-97 of FIG. 12,and blocks α1β1 function as tested, for example, by their ability toinhibit K562-α1 dependent adhesion to Collagen IV (see Example 15).

The following describes the various methods of making the antibodies ofthis invention. Methods that are known in the art but not specificallydescribed herein are also within the scope of this invention. Forinstance, antibodies of this invention can also be identified usingphage-displayed antibody libraries, such as those described in Smith,1985, Science 228:1315-7; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,565,332, 5,733,743,6,291,650, and 6,303,313. Additional antibodies of this invention can bemade by coupling the heavy chains identified herein with a noncognatelight chain, e.g., a light chain identified by phage display technology.

II. Non-Human Hybridoma Antibodies

The monoclonal antibodies of this invention can be generated by wellknown hybridoma technology. For instance, β₁−/− animals (e.g., mice,rats or rabbits) can be immunized with purified or crude α₁ β₁preparations, cells transfected with cDNA constructs encoding α₁, β₁ orboth antigens, cells that constitutively express α₁β₁, and the like. Theantigen can be delivered as purified protein, protein expressed oncells, protein fragment or peptide thereof, or as naked DNA or viralvectors encoding the protein, protein fragment, or peptide. Sera of theimmunized animals are then tested for the presence of anti-α₁β₁antibodies. B cells are isolated from animals that test positive, andhybridomas are made with these B cells.

Antibodies secreted by the hybridomas are screened for their ability tobind specifically to VLA-1 (e.g., binding to α₁-transfected cells andnot to untransfected parent cells) and for any other desired features,e.g., having the desired CDR consensus sequences, inhibiting (or notinhibiting in the case of nonblockers) the binding between collagen andVLA-1.

Hybridoma cells that test positive in the screening assays are culturedin a nutrient medium under conditions that allow the cells to secretethe monoclonal antibodies into the culture medium. The conditionedhybridoma culture supernatant is then collected and antibodies containedin the supernatant are purified. Alternatively, the desired antibody maybe produced by injecting the hybridoma cells into the peritoneal cavityof an unimmunized animal (e.g., a mouse). The hybridoma cellsproliferate in the peritoneal cavity, secreting the antibody whichaccumulates as ascites fluid. The antibody may then be harvested bywithdrawing the ascites fluid from the peritoneal cavity with a syringe.

The monoclonal antibodies can also be generated by isolating theantibody-coding cDNAs from the desired hybridomas, transfectingmammalian host cells (e.g., CHO or NSO cells) with the cDNAs, culturingthe transfected host cells, and recovering the antibody from the culturemedium.

III. Chimeric Antibodies

The monoclonal antibodies of this invention can also be generated byengineering a cognate hybridoma (e.g., murine, rat or rabbit) antibody.For instance, a cognate antibody can be altered by recombinant DNAtechnology such that part or all of the hinge and/or constant regions ofthe heavy and/or light chains are replaced with the correspondingcomponents of an antibody from another species (e.g., human). Generally,the variable domains of the engineered antibody remain identical orsubstantially so to the variable domains of the cognate antibody. Suchan engineered antibody is called a chimeric antibody and is lessantigenic than the cognate antibody when administered to an individualof the species from which the hinge and/or constant region is derived(e.g., a human). Methods of making chimeric antibodies are well known inthe art. Human constant regions include those derived from IgG1 andIgG4.

IV. Fully Human Antibodies

The monoclonal antibodies of this invention also include fully humanantibodies. They may be prepared using in vitro-primed humansplenocytes, as described by Boerner et al., 1991, J. Immunol. 147:8695,or using phage-displayed antibody libraries, as described in, e.g., U.S.Pat. No. 6,300,064.

Alternatively, fully human antibodies may be prepared by repertoirecloning as described by Persson et al., 1991, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA88: 2432-2436; and Huang and Stollar, 1991, J. Immunol, Methods 141:227-236. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,230 (Aug. 25, 1998) describespreparation of human monoclonal antibodies from human B cells, whereinhuman antibody-producing B cells are immortalized by infection with anEpstein-Ban virus, or a derivative thereof, that expresses Epstein Barrvirus nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA2), a protein required for immortalization.The EBNA2 function is subsequently shut off, resulting in an increase inantibody production.

Some other methods for producing fully human antibodies involve the useof nonhuman animals that have inactivated endogenous Ig loci and aretransgenic for un-rearranged human antibody heavy chain and light chaingenes. Such transgenic animals can be immunized with α₁β₁ and hybridomasare then made from B cells derived therefrom. These methods aredescribed in, e.g., the various GenPharm/Medarex (Palo Alto, Calif.)publications/patents concerning transgenic mice containing human Igminiloci (e.g., Lonberg U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,650); the various Abgenix(Fremont, Calif.) publications/patents with respect to XENOMICE (e.g.,Kucherlapati U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,075,181, 6,150,584 and 6,162,963; Green etal., 1994, Nature Genetics 7:13-21; and Mendez et al., 1997, NatureGenetics 15(2):146-56); and the various Kirin (Japan)publications/patents concerning “transomic” mice (e.g., EP 843 961, andTomizuka et al., 1997, Nature Genetics 16:133-1443).

V. Humanized Antibodies

The monoclonal antibodies of this invention also include humanizedversions of cognate anti-α₁β₁ antibodies derived from other species. Ahumanized antibody is an antibody produced by recombinant DNAtechnology, in which some or all of the amino acids of a humanimmunoglobulin light or heavy chain that are not required for antigenbinding (e.g., the constant regions and the framework regions of thevariable domains) are used to substitute for the corresponding aminoacids from the light or heavy chain of the cognate, nonhuman antibody.By way of example, a humanized version of a murine antibody to a givenantigen has on both of its heavy and light chains (1) constant regionsof a human antibody; (2) framework regions from the variable domains ofa human antibody; and (3) CDRs from the murine antibody. When necessary,one or more residues in the human framework regions can be changed toresidues at the corresponding positions in the murine antibody so as topreserve the binding affinity of the humanized antibody to the antigen.This change is sometimes called “back mutation.” Humanized antibodiesgenerally are less likely to elicit an immune response in humans ascompared to chimeric human antibodies because the former containconsiderably fewer nonhuman components.

The methods for making humanized antibodies are described in, e.g.,Winter E P 239 400; Jones et al., 1986, Nature 321:522-525; Riechmann etal., 1988, Nature 332:323-327 (1988); Verhoeyen et al., 1988, Science239:1534-1536; Queen et al., 1989, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 86:10029;U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,370; and Orlandi et al., 1989, Proc. Natl. Acad.Sci. USA 86:3833. Generally, the transplantation of murine (or othernon-human) CDRs onto a human antibody is achieved as follows. The cDNAsencoding heavy and light chain variable domains are isolated from ahybridoma. The DNA sequences of the variable domains, including theCDRs, are determined by sequencing. The DNAs encoding the CDRs aretransferred to the corresponding regions of a human antibody heavy orlight chain variable domain coding sequence by site directedmutagenesis. Then human constant region gene segments of a desiredisotype (e.g, γ1 for CH and k for CL) are added. The humanized heavy andlight chain genes are co-expressed in mammalian host cells (e.g., CHO orNSO cells) to produce soluble humanized antibody. To facilitate largescale production of antibodies, it is often desirable to produce suchhumanized antibodies in bioreactors containing the antibody-expressingcells, or to produce transgenic mammals (e.g., goats, cows, or sheep)that express the antibody in milk (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,690).

At times, direct transfer of CDRs to a human framework leads to a lossof antigen-binding affinity of the resultant antibody. This is becausein some cognate antibodies, certain amino acids within the frameworkregions interact with the CDRs and thus influence the overall antigenbinding affinity of the antibody. In such cases, it would be critical tointroduce “back mutations” (supra) in the framework regions of theacceptor antibody in order to retain the antigen-binding activity of thecognate antibody.

The general approach of making back mutations is known in the art. Forinstance, Queen et al. (supra), Co et al., 1991, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.USA 88:2869-2873, and WO 90/07861 (Protein Design Labs Inc.) describe anapproach that involves two key steps. First, the human V frameworkregions are chosen by computer analysis for optimal protein sequencehomology to the V region framework of the cognate murine antibody. Then,the tertiary structure of the murine V region is modeled by computer inorder to visualize framework amino acid residues that are likely tointeract with the murine CDRs, and these murine amino acid residues arethen superimposed on the homologous human framework.

Under this two-step approach, there are several criteria for designinghumanized antibodies. The first criterion is to use as the humanacceptor the framework from a particular human immunoglobulin that isusually homologous to the nonhuman donor immunoglobulin, or to use aconsensus framework from many human antibodies. The second criterion isto use the donor amino acid rather than the acceptor if the humanacceptor residue is unusual and the donor residue is typical for humansequences at a specific residue of the framework. The third criterion isto use the donor framework amino acid residue rather than the acceptorat positions immediately adjacent to the CDRs.

One may also use a different approach as described in, e.g., Tempest,1991, Biotechnology 9: 266-271. Under this approach, the V regionframeworks derived from NEWM and REI heavy and light chains,respectively, are used for CDR-grafting without radical introduction ofmouse residues. An advantage of using this approach is that thethree-dimensional structures of NEWM and REI variable regions are knownfrom X-ray crystallography and thus specific interactions between CDRsand V region framework residues can be readily modeled.

VI. Other Moieties

The monoclonal antibodies of this invention may further include othermoieties to effect the desired functions. For instance, the antibodiesmay include a toxin moiety (e.g., tetanus toxoid or ricin) or aradionuclide (e.g., ¹¹¹In or ⁹⁰Y) for killing of cells targeted by theantibodies (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,026). The antibodies mayinclude a moiety (e.g., biotin, fluorescent moieties, radioactivemoieties, histidine tag or other peptide tags) for easy isolation ordetection. The antibodies may also include a moiety that can prolongtheir serum half life, for example, a polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety,and a member of the immunoglobulin super family or fragment thereof(e.g., a portion of human IgG1 heavy chain constant region such as thehinge, CH2 and CH3 regions).

VII. Crystallizable Compositions and Crystals

This invention also provides a crystallizable composition containing acomplex of: (1) a rat-human chimeric α1-I domain (e.g., mutant RΔH), ora portion thereof (e.g., a polypeptide including 135 to 336 amino acidsof the rat-human chimeric α1-I domain); and (2) a Fab fragment of hAQC2,or a portion thereof (e.g., a polypeptide including 3 to 213 amino acidsof the light chain and/or a polypeptide including 3 to 219 amino acidsof the heavy chain). An exemplary complex is shown in FIG. 20. The RΔHα1-I domain can include, e.g., amino acid residues 145 to 336 (crystalnumbering) (SEQ ID NO:59, infra) of the rat α1 subunit. The hAQC2 Fabfragments may include light chain amino acid residues 1 to 106 (e.g.,1-213) of SEQ ID NO:3 and heavy chain amino acid residues 1 to 118(e.g., 1-219) of SEQ ID NO:4. The hAQC2 Fab fragments may be obtained bypapain digestion of the whole antibody or made by recombinant methods.The Fab fragments include at least an antigen-binding portion of thevariable domains of the light chain and/or the heavy chains of hAQC2.

(SEQ ID NO: 59) 145 TQLDIV 151IVLDGSNSIY PWESVIAFLN DLLKRMDIGP KQTQVGIVQY 191GENVTHEFNL NKYSSTEEVL VAANKIVQRG GRQTMTALGI 231DTARKEAFTE ARGARRGVKK VMVIVTDGES HDNYRLKQVI 271QDCEDENIQR FSIAILGHYN RGNLSTEKFV EEIKSIASEP 311TEKHPENVSD ELALVTIVKA LGERIF

Some crystallizable compositions and crystals of this invention maycontain a molecule or molecular complex that is homologous to the α1-Idomain and/or the hAQC2 Fab fragment by amino acid sequence or bythree-dimensional structure. Examples of homologues include, but are notlimited to: the α1-I domain and/or the hAQC2 Fab fragment withmutations, such as conservative substitutions, additions, deletions or acombination thereof. “Conservative substitutions” refer to replacementresidues that are physically similar in size, shape, hydrophobicity,charge, and/or chemical properties to the corresponding referenceresidues. Methods for identifying a “corresponding” amino acid are knownin the art and are based upon sequence, structural alignment, itsfunctional position or a combination thereof as compared to the crystalstructure solved in the present invention. For example, correspondingamino acids may be identified by superimposing the backbone atoms of theamino acids in the α1-I domain/hAQC2 complex and a α1-I domain and/orhAQC2 homologue using well known software applications, such as QUANTA(Molecular Simulations, Inc., San Diego, Calif. ©1998, 2000). Thecorresponding amino acids may also be identified using sequencealignment programs such as the “bestfit” program available from theGenetics Computer Group, which uses the local homology algorithmdescribed by Smith and Waterman in Adv. Appl. Math. 2:482 (1981).

Crystallizable compositions of this invention may further include one ormore components that promote crystallization and/or is compatible withcrystallization conditions. Such components may include, but are notlimited to, buffer, salts, precipitating agents and other reagents. Onecomponent can be 30% weight/volume Polyethylene Glycol 1500 (PEG1500).

The instant invention also provides methods of making crystals fromcrystallizable compositions including a complex of α1-I domain and anantigen-binding portion of hAQC2 (e.g., Fab, Fab′ or other fragments,supra). Various techniques of crystallization can be used in the claimedinvention, including, but not limited to, vapor-diffusion, dialysis,microbatch, batch, and liquid-liquid diffusion. Vapor diffusion methodsinclude, but are not limited too, sitting-drop, hanging-drop andsandwich-drop techniques. Vapor-diffusion methods can use techniques tocontrol the rate of crystallization, such as the addition of oils on thedrops or reservoir solution. Crystallization methods can include mixinga reservoir solution containing precipitating agent with an aqueoussolution of a complex of α1-I domain and an antigen-binding portion ofhAQC2 to produce a crystallizable composition. The mixture orcrystallizable composition may then be crystallized using the variousabove-listed techniques. The crystallizable composition of thisinvention may be an aqueous solution of a complex of α1-I domain and anantigen-binding portion of hAQC2 containing the complex at aconcentration of about 1 to 50 mg per mL, such as a concentration ofabout 5 to 115 mg per mL (e.g., 11 mg per mL).

VIII. Crystal Structures and Structure Coordinates

This invention further provides the three-dimensional structure of acrystal including a complex of mutant RΔH, and a hAQC2 Fab fragment at2.8 Å resolution (Example 24, infra). The three-dimensional structuresof other related crystals may also be determined using techniquesdescribed herein and those known in the art. The three-dimensionalstructure of this complex is defined by a set of structure coordinatesset forth in FIG. 19. These structure coordinates are Cartesian atomiccoordinates derived from mathematical equations related to the patternsobtained from diffraction of a monochromatic beam of X-rays by the atomsor scattering centers of the crystalline complex of the α1-I domain andthe hAQC2 Fab fragment. Diffraction data are first used to calculate anelectron density map of the repeating unit of the crystal. The electrondensity map is then used to establish the positions of individual atomsof the complex.

This invention provides a molecule or a molecular complex defined by allor part of the structure coordinates of all amino acids set forth inFIG. 19, as well as a homologue of the molecule or molecular complex,where the homologue has a root mean square deviation from the backboneatoms of these amino acids between 0.00 Å and 0.65 Å, such as between0.00 Å and 0.60 Å (e.g., between 0.00 Å and 0.50 Å). The term “root meansquare deviation” or “r.m.s. deviation” means the square root of thearithmetic mean of the squares of the deviations from the mean. It is away to express the deviation or variation from a trend or object. Forpurposes of this invention, the “root mean square deviation” or “r.m.s.positional deviation” defines the variation in the backbone of a proteinfrom the relevant portion of the backbone of the polypeptide as definedby the structure coordinates described herein.

A molecule or a molecular complex of this invention may also include abinding site defined by structure coordinates of at least seven aminoacids of the hAQC2 Fab fragment selected from the group including oflight chain residues Asn30, Tyr48, Trp90, Ser91, Asn93 and Trp95, andheavy chain residues Ser30, Arg31, Trp47, Ser52, Gly53, His 56, Tyr58,Phe99, Gly100 and Asp101 (crystal numbering) according to FIG. 19; or ahomologue of the molecule or molecular complex, where the homologueincludes a binding site that has a root mean square deviation from thebackbone atoms of one or more of these amino acids between 0.00 Å and1.10 Å, such as between 0.00 Å and 1.00 Å (e.g., between 0.00 Å and 0.50Å.). The term “binding site” as used herein, refers to a region of amolecule or molecular complex that, as a result of its shape and charge,favorably associates with another chemical entity. The term “site”includes, but is not limited to, trench, cleft, channel or pocket. Forinstance, binding sites on the α1-I domain may include acollagen-binding site (Emsley et al., 1997, supra), an antibody-bindingsite, and an allosteric (or IDAS) binding site (Huth et al., 2000, Proc.Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97:5231-5236). The term “chemical entity”includes, but is not limited to, any molecule, molecular complex,compound or fragment thereof. The term “associate with” refers to anassociation or binding in a condition of proximity between a chemicalentity, or portions thereof, and a binding pocket or binding site on aprotein. The association may be non-covalent—where the juxtaposition isenergetically favored by hydrogen bonding or van der Waals orelectrostatic interactions or it may be covalent.

A molecule or molecular complex of this invention can include a bindingsite defined by structure coordinates of α1-I domain amino acidsselected from the group consisting of residues Asp154, Ser156, Asn157,Ser158, Tyr160, Glu192, Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, Gly221, Arg222, Gln223,Thr224, Asp257, His261, Asn263, Arg291, and Leu294 (crystal numbering),according to FIG. 19, or a homologue of the molecule or molecularcomplex, where the homologue includes a binding site that has a rootmean square deviation from the backbone atoms of the α1-I domain aminoacids between 0.00 Å and 0.92 Å.

A molecule or molecular complex of this invention also may include abinding site defined by structure coordinates of α1-I domain amino acidsselected from the group consisting of residues Glu192, Gln218, Arg219,Gly220, and Gly221 (crystal numbering), according to FIG. 19; or ahomologue of the molecule or molecular complex, where the homologueincludes a binding site that has a root mean square deviation from thebackbone atoms of the α1-I domain amino acids between 0.00 Å and 0.30 Å.

Those of skill in the art will understand that a set of structurecoordinates for a polypeptide is a relative set of points that define ashape in three dimensions. Thus, it is possible that an entirelydifferent set of coordinates that define a similar or identical shapecould be generated using mathematical manipulations of the structurecoordinates in FIG. 19. For example, the structure coordinates could bemanipulated by crystallographic permutations of the structurecoordinates, fractionalization of the structure coordinates, integeradditions or subtractions to sets of the structure coordinates,inversion of the structure coordinates, or any combination thereof.Moreover, slight variations in the individual coordinates will havelittle effect on overall shape.

Alternatively, modification in the crystal structure due to mutations,such as additions, substitutions, and/or deletions of amino acids, orother changes in any of the polypeptide components (e.g., a hAQC2 Fabfragment or a α1-I domain) that make up the crystal can also account forvariations in structure coordinates. If such variations are within anacceptable standard error as compared to the original coordinates, theresulting three-dimensional shape is considered to be the same as thatof the unmodified crystal.

It is therefore necessary to determine whether an entity is sufficientlysimilar to all or parts of the structure described herein as to beconsidered the same. Such analyses may be carried out using currentsoftware applications, such as QUANTA (Accelrys, Inc. and MolecularSimulations, Inc., San Diego, Calif. ©1998,2000) and O (Jones et al.,1991, Acta Cryst. A47:110-119), and accompanying User Guides. TheMolecular Similarity application of QUANTA and the LSQ application of Opermit comparisons between different structures, different conformationsof the same structure, and different parts of the same structure. Thegeneral procedure used in both applications is to input the structuresto be compared, define the equivalent atomic positions in thesestructures, perform a fitting operation, and analyze the results.

When each structure is input into the application, it is given a name.and identified as the fixed structure or a moving structures. Atomequivalency is usually defined by equivalent atoms such as proteinbackbone atoms (N, Cα, C and O) for all conserved residues between thetwo structures being compared. The moving structure is translated androtated to obtain an optimum or least-squares fit with the fixedstructure. The root mean square difference of the fit over the specifiedpairs of equivalent atom is reported by both programs in angstroms.

For the purpose of this invention, any molecular complex that has a rootmean square deviation of conserved residue backbone atoms (N, Cα, C, 0)between 0.00 Å and 1.50 Å, such as between 0.00 Å and 1.00 Å (e.g.,between 0.00 Å and 0.50 Å), when superimposed on the relevant backboneatoms described by structure coordinates listed in FIG. 19 areconsidered identical.

IX. Determining Other Crystal Structures

The structure coordinates set forth in FIG. 19 can also be used to aidin obtaining structural information about another crystallized molecularentity, such as another hAQC2 containing amino acid substitutions in oneof its CDRs. This may be achieved by any well-known techniques,including molecular replacement, an especially useful method fordetermining the structures of mutants and homologues of α1-I domain/Fab.

The structure coordinates set forth in FIG. 19 can also be used fordetermining at least a portion of the three-dimensional structure ofmolecular entities that contain at least some structural featuressimilar to at least a portion of the α1-I domain or the hAQC2 Fab.Therefore, another embodiment of this invention provides a method ofutilizing molecular replacement to obtain structural information about acrystallized molecule or molecular complex with unknown structureincluding the steps of: (a) generating an X-ray diffraction pattern fromthe crystallized molecule or molecular complex; and (b) applying atleast a portion of the structure coordinates set forth in FIG. 19 to theX-ray diffraction pattern to generate a three-dimensional electrondensity map of the molecule or molecular complex with unknown structure.

By using molecular replacement, all or part of the structure coordinatesset forth in FIG. 19 can be used to determine the unknown structure of acrystallized molecular entity more rapidly and efficiently thanattempting to determine such information ab initio. Molecularreplacement provides an accurate estimation of the phases for an unknownstructure. Phases are a factor in equations used to solve crystalstructures that cannot be determined directly. Obtaining accurate valuesfor the phases, by methods other than molecular replacement, can oftenbe a time-consuming process that involves iterative cycles ofapproximations and refinements and greatly hinders the solution ofcrystal structures. However, when the crystal structure of a proteincontaining at least a homologous portion has been solved, the phasesfrom the known structure can often provide a satisfactory estimate ofthe phases for the unknown structure.

Thus, molecular replacement involves generating a preliminary model of amolecule or molecular complex whose structure coordinates are unknown,by orienting and positioning the relevant portion of the complexaccording to FIG. 19 within the unit cell of the crystal of the unknownmolecule or molecular complex, so as best to account for the observedX-ray diffraction pattern of the crystal of the molecule or molecularcomplex whose structure is unknown. Phases can then be calculated fromthis model and combined with the observed X-ray diffraction patternamplitudes to generate an electron density map of the structure whosecoordinates are unknown. This, in turn, can be subjected to anywell-known model building and structure refinement techniques to providea final, accurate structure of the unknown crystallized molecule ormolecular complex (Lattman, 1985, Meth. Enzymol. 115:55-77; Rossmann,ed., “The Molecular Replacement Method”, Int. Sci. Rev. Ser., No. 13,Gordon & Breach, New York, 1972). The structure of any portion of anycrystallized molecule or molecular complex that is sufficientlyhomologous to any portion of the α1-I domain and/or the hAQC2 Fabfragment (according to FIG. 19) can be solved by this method.

X. Computer and Storage Medium

To use the structure coordinates of this invention, e.g., those setforth in FIG. 19, it is usually necessary to convert the coordinatesinto a three-dimensional representation or shape. Commercially availablegraphical software programs including, but not limited to, O (Jones etal., 1991, Acta Cryst. A47:110-119) and ISIGHTII (©Accelrys, Inc. andMolecular Simulations, Inc., San Diego, Calif.) are capable ofgenerating three-dimensional representations of molecules or molecularcomplexes, or portions thereof, from a set of structure coordinates.

In accordance with the present invention, the structure coordinates ofthe molecular entities of this invention are stored in a storage mediumreadable by machine (e.g., a computer). Using a computer and appropriatesoftware, such data may be used for a variety of purposes, such as drugdiscovery and X-ray crystallographic analysis of other protein crystals.

Accordingly, a machine-readable data storage medium may include a datastorage material encoded with machine-readable data including at least aportion of the structure coordinates set forth in FIG. 19. The computermay further include instructions to produce three-dimensionalrepresentations of the molecular complexes of α1-I domain and the hAQC2Fab fragment by processing the machine-readable data of this invention.The computer of this invention may also include a display, a graphicalinterface for displaying, or an input device for moving and manipulatingthe three-dimensional graphical representation of the structurecoordinates.

This invention also provides a computer for determining at least aportion of the structure coordinates corresponding to X-ray diffractiondata obtained from a molecular complex of α1β1 integrin and the Fabfragment of hAQC2 antibody, where the computer includes amachine-readable data storage medium including a data storage materialencoded with machine-readable data, where the data includes at least aportion of the structure coordinates of the molecular complex of α1-Idomain and the hAQC2 Fab fragment according to FIG. 19, or X-raydiffraction data obtained from the crystalline molecular complex. Thecomputer further includes instructions for performing a Fouriertransform of the machine readable coordinate data, and instructions forprocessing this machine readable diffraction data into structurecoordinates. This computer may further include: a working memory forstoring instructions for processing the machine-readable data; acentral-processing unit coupled to the working memory and to themachine-readable data; and optionally a graphical interface or displaycoupled to the central-processing unit for displaying thethree-dimensional graphical representation of the structure coordinatesof the molecule or molecular complex.

This invention further provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of: a molecule or a molecular complexdefined by at least a portion or all of the structure coordinates of allthe α1-I domain and the AQC2 Fab fragment amino acids set forth in FIG.19, or a homologue of the molecule or molecular complex, where thehomologue has a root mean square deviation from the backbone atoms ofthe amino acids of between 0.00 Å than 1.50 Å, such as between 0.00 Åand 1.00 Å, (e.g., between 0.00 Å and 0.50 Å). Further in this inventionthe computer includes: a machine-readable data storage medium includinga data storage material encoded with machine-readable data, where thedata includes at least a portion or all of the structure coordinates ofall of the α1-I domain and the Fab hAQC2 fragment amino acids set forthin FIG. 19.

A computer of this invention may also produce a three-dimensionalrepresentation of a molecule or molecular complex including a bindingsite. The binding site may be defined by structure coordinates of atleast seven amino acids of: the hAQC2 Fab fragment selected from thegroup including light chain residues Asn30, Tyr48, Trp90, Ser91, Asn93and Trp95, and heavy chain residues Ser30, Arg31, Trp47, Ser52, Gly53,His 56, Tyr58, Phe99, Gly100 and Asp101 (crystal numbering) according toFIG. 19; or a homologue of the molecule or molecular complex, where thehomologue includes a binding site that has a root mean square deviationfrom the backbone atoms of the at least one amino acid of the hAQC2 Fabfragment of between 0.00 Å and 1.10 Å, such as between 0.00 Å and 1.00Å, (e.g., between 0.00 Å and 0.50 Å). Further, the computer of thisinvention includes: a machine-readable data storage medium including adata storage material encoded with machine-readable data, where the dataincludes the structure coordinates of at least seven amino acids of thehAQC2 Fab fragment selected from the group consisting of light chainresidues Asn30, Tyr48, Trp90, Ser91, Asn93 and Trp95, and heavy chainresidues Ser30, Arg31, Trp47, Ser52, Gly53, His56, Tyr58, Phe99, Gly100and Asp101 (crystal numbering) according to FIG. 19.

This invention also provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of: a molecule or molecular complexincluding a binding site defined by structure coordinates I domain aminoacids selected from the group consisting of residues Asp154, Ser156,Asn157, Ser158, Tyr160, Glu192, Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, Gly221, Arg222,Gln223, Thr224, Asp257, His261, Asn263, Arg291, and Leu294 (crystalnumbering), according to FIG. 19; or a homologue of the molecule ormolecular complex, where the homologue includes a binding site that hasa root mean square deviation from the backbone atoms of the I domainamino acids between 0.00 Å and 0.92 Å. Further in this invention, thecomputer includes: a machine-readable data storage medium including adata storage material encoded with machine-readable data, where the dataincludes the structure coordinates of I domain amino acids selected fromthe group consisting of residues Asp154, Ser156, Asn157, Ser158, Tyr160,Glu192, Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, Gly221, Arg222, Gln223, Thr224, Asp257,His261, Asn263, Arg291, and Leu294 (crystal numbering), according toFIG. 19.

This invention also provides a computer for producing athree-dimensional representation of a molecule or molecular complexincluding a binding site defined by structure coordinates of I domainamino acids selected from the group consisting of residues Glu192,Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, and Gly221 (crystal numbering), according toFIG. 19; or a homologue of the molecule or molecular complex, where thehomologue includes a binding site that has a root mean square deviationfrom the backbone atoms of I domain amino acids between 0.00 Å and 0.30Å. Further in this invention the computer includes: a machine-readabledata storage medium including a data storage material encoded withmachine-readable data, where the data includes the structure coordinatesI domain amino acids selected from the group consisting of residuesGlu192, Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, and Gly221 (crystal numbering),according to FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 demonstrates one such embodiment. System 10 includes a computer11 including a central-processing unit (“CPU”) 20, a working memory 22which may be, e.g., Ram (random-access memory) or “core” memory, massstorage memory 24 (such as one or more disk or tape drives or CD-ROM orDVD-ROM drives), one or more cathode-ray tube (“CRT”) display terminals26, one or more keyboards 28, one or more input lines 30, and one ormore output lines 40, all of which are interconnected by a conventionalbidirectional system bus 50.

Input hardware 36, coupled to computer 11 by input lines 30, may beimplemented in a variety of ways. Machine-readable data of thisinvention may be inputted via the use of a modem or modems 32 connectedby a telephone line or dedicated data line 34. Alternatively oradditionally, the input hardware 36 may include CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drivesor tape or disk drives 24. In conjunction with display terminal 26,keyboard 28 may also be used as an input device.

Output hardware 46, coupled to computer 11 by output lines 40, maysimilarly be implemented by conventional devices. By way of example,output hardware 46 may include CRT display terminal 26 for displaying agraphical representation of a binding site of this invention using aprogram such as QUANTA as described herein. Output hardware might alsoinclude a printer 42, so that hard copy output may be produced, or adisk drive 24, to store system output for later use.

In operation, CPU 20 coordinates the use of the various input and outputdevices 36, 46, coordinates data accesses from mass storage 24 andaccesses to and from working memory 22, and determines the sequence ofdata processing steps. A number of programs may be used to process themachine-readable data of this invention. Such programs are discussed inreference to the computational methods of drug discovery as describedherein. Specific references to components of the hardware system 10 areincluded as appropriate throughout the following description of the datastorage medium.

FIG. 22 shows a cross-section of a magnetic data storage medium 100which can be encoded with machine-readable data that can be carried outby a system such as system 10 of FIG. 21. Medium 100 can be aconventional floppy diskette or hard disk, having a suitable substrate101, which may be conventional, and a suitable coating 102, which may beconventional, on one or both sides, containing magnetic domains (notvisible) whose polarity or orientation can be altered magnetically.Medium 100 may also have an opening (not shown) for receiving thespindle of a disk drive or other data storage device 24.

The magnetic domains of coating 102 of medium 100 are polarized ororiented so as to encode in manner which may be conventional, machinereadable data such as that described herein, for execution by a systemsuch as system 11 of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 shows a cross-section of an optically-readable data storagemedium 110 which also can be encoded with such machine-readable data, ora set of instructions, which can be carried out by a system such assystem 10 of FIG. 21. Medium 110 can be a conventional compact disk orDVD disk read only memory (CD-ROM or DVD-ROM) or a rewritable medium,such as a magneto-optical disk which is optically readable andmagneto-optically writable. Medium 100 has a suitable substrate 111,which may be conventional, and a suitable coating 112, which may beconventional, usually of one side of substrate 111.

In the case of CD-ROM, as is well known, coating 112 is reflective andis impressed with a plurality of pits 113 to encode the machine-readabledata. The arrangement of pits is read by reflecting laser light off thesurface of coating 112. A protective coating 114, which is substantiallytransparent, is provided on top of coating 112.

In the case of a magneto-optical disk, as is well known, coating 112 hasno pits 113, but has a plurality of magnetic domains whose polarity ororientation can be changed magnetically when heated above a certaintemperature, as by a laser (not shown). The orientation of the domainscan be read by measuring the polarization of laser light reflected fromcoating 112. The arrangement of the domains encodes the data asdescribed above.

XI. Rational Drug Design

The present invention permits the use of structure-based and rationaldrug design techniques to design, select, and synthesize or isolatechemical entities, such as inhibitors of the α1-I domain and to improveknown inhibitors of this domain. These inhibitors may be capable ofblocking the collagen-binding site of VLA-1. This invention also permitsthe use of structure-based and rational drug design techniques to designvariants that may act as inhibitors of collagen binding.

The three-dimensional representation of this invention can be usedexperimentally or computationally to design potential inhibitors, otherchemical entities, variants of the Fab fragment or combinations ofchemical entities that may bind to and effect the biological functionsof the hAQC2 Fab fragment or the chimeric α1-I domain of the currentinvention.

One skilled in the art can use one of several methods to screen chemicalentities for their ability to associate with the complex of the hAQC2Fab fragment or the chimeric α1-I domain of the current invention andmore particularly with a binding site of either the I domain or the Fabfragment. This process may begin by visual inspection of, for example,the binding site for either the I domain or the Fab fragment on thecomputer screen, based on the coordinates of the complex in FIG. 19.Selected chemical entities may then be positioned in a variety oforientations, or docked, within an individual binding site of either theI domain or the Fab fragment. Docking may be accomplished using softwaresuch as QUANTA, followed by energy minimization and molecular dynamicswith standard molecular mechanics forcefields, such as CHARMM (MolecularSimulations, Inc., Burlington, Mass. ©1994) and AMBER (P. A. Kollman,University of California at San Francisco, ©1994).

Specialized computer programs may also assist in the process ofselecting chemical entities. These include, inter alia:

-   1. GRID (Goodford, P. J., 1985, J. Med. Chem. 28:849-857). GRID is    available from Oxford University, Oxford, UK.-   2. MCSS (Miranker, A. and M. Karplus, 1991, Proteins: Structure,    Function and Genetics 11:29-34). MCSS is available from Molecular    Simulations, Burlington, Mass.-   3. AUTODOCK (Goodsell, D. S, and A. J. Olsen, 1990, Proteins:    Structure, Function, and Genetics 8:195-202). AUTODOCK is available    from Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif.-   4. DOCK (Kuntz, I. D. et al., 1982, J. Mol. Biol. 161:269-288). DOCK    is available from University of California, San Francisco, Calif.

Once suitable chemical entities have been selected, they can beassembled into a single compound. Assembly may proceed by visualinspection of the relationship of the entities to each other on thethree-dimensional image displayed on a computer screen in relation tothe structure coordinates of the complex of hAQC2 Fab fragment and thechimeric α1-I domain. This is followed by manual model building usingsoftware such as Quanta or Sybyl.

The above-described evaluation process for chemical entities may beperformed in a similar fashion for compounds or for variants that maybind the α1-I domain.

Useful programs to aid one of skill in the art in connecting theindividual chemical entities include:

-   1. CAVEAT (Bartlett, P. A. et al, “CAVEAT: A Program to Facilitate    the Structure-Derived Design of Biologically Active Molecules”. In    “Molecular Recognition in Chemical and Biological Problems”, Special    Pub., 1989, Royal Chem. Soc., 78:182-196). CAVEAT is available from    the University of California, Berkeley, Calif.-   2. 3D Database systems such as MACCS-3D (MDL Information Systems,    San Leandro, Calif.). This area is reviewed in Martin, Y. C.,    1992, J. Med. Chem. 35:2145-2154.-   3. HOOK (available from Molecular Simulations, Burlington, Mass.).

Instead of proceeding to build an inhibitor or binding compound in astep-wise fashion one chemical entity at a time, as described above,binding compounds may be designed as a whole or “de novo” using eitheran empty binding site (such as a binding site of the α1-I domain or thehAQC2 Fab fragment) or optionally including some portion(s) of a knownα1-I domain or the hAQC2 Fab fragment binding compound. These methodsinclude:

-   1. LUDI (Bohm, H.-J., 1992, J. Comp. Aid. Molec. Design 6:61-78).    LUDI is available from Biosym Technologies, San Diego, Calif.-   2. LEGEND (Nishibata, Y. and A. Itai, 1991, Tetrahedron 47:8985).    LEGEND is available from Molecular Simulations, Burlington, Mass.-   3. LeapFrog (available from Tripos Associates, St. Louis, Mo.).

Other molecular modeling techniques may also be employed in accordancewith this invention. See, e.g., Cohen, N. C. et al., 1990, J. Med. Chem.33:883-894. See also Navia, M. A. and M. A. Murcko, 1992, Curr. Opin.Struct. Biol. 2:202-210.

Once an entity has been designed or selected by the above methods, theefficiency with which that entity may bind to the α1-I domain or thehAQC2 Fab fragment can be tested and optimized by computationalevaluation. For example, a compound that has been designed or selectedto function as α1-I domain binding compound can traverse a volume notoverlapping that occupied by the binding site when it is bound to thechimeric α1-I domain. An effective α1-I domain binding compound candemonstrate a relatively small difference in energy between its boundand free states (i.e., a small deformation energy of binding). Thus, themost efficient α1-I domain binding compound should be designed with adeformation energy of binding of not greater than about 10 kcal/mole,e.g., not greater than 7 kcal/mole. α1-I domain binding compounds mayinteract with the α1-I domain in more than one conformation that issimilar in overall binding energy. In those cases, the deformationenergy of binding is taken to be the difference between the energy ofthe free compound and the average energy of the conformations observedwhen the compound binds to the protein.

A compound designed or selected as binding to α1-I domain may be furthercomputationally optimized so that in its bound state it would lackrepulsive electrostatic interaction with the target protein. Suchnon-complementary (e.g., electrostatic) interactions include repulsivecharge-charge, dipole-dipole and charge-dipole interactions.Specifically, the sum of all electrostatic interactions between thecompound and the protein when the compound is bound to α1-I domain,should make a neutral or favorable contribution to the enthalpy ofbinding.

Specific computer software is available in the art to evaluate compounddeformation energy and electrostatic interaction. Examples of programsdesigned for such uses include: Gaussian 92, revision C (M. J. Frisch,Gaussian, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. ©1992); AMBER, version 4.0 (P. A.Kollman, University of California at San Francisco, ©1994);QUANTA/CHARMM (Molecular Simulations, Inc., Burlington, Mass. 1994); andInsight II/Discover (Biosysm Technologies Inc., San Diego, Calif.©1994). These programs may be implemented, for instance, using a SiliconGraphics workstation. Other hardware systems and software packages willbe known to those skilled in the alt.

One other useful drug design technique enabled by this invention isiterative drug design. Iterative drug design is a method for optimizingassociations between a protein and a compound (that compound includes anantibody) by determining and evaluating the three-dimensional structuresof successive sets of protein/compound complexes. In iterative drugdesign, a series of crystals of a protein complexed with entities thatbind the protein are obtained and then the three-dimensional structureof each molecular complex is solved. Such an approach provides insightinto the associations between the proteins and other entities of eachcomplex. This is accomplished by selecting chemical entities withinhibitory activity, obtaining crystals of these new complexes, solvingthe three-dimensional structure of the complexes, and comparing theassociations between the new complexes and the previously solvedcomplex. Associations within a complex can be optimized by observing howchanges in the components of the complex affect associations.

In some cases, iterative drug design is carried out by formingsuccessive complexes and then crystallizing each new complex.Alternatively, a pre-formed protein crystal is soaked in the presence ofanother chemical entity, thereby forming a complex and obviating theneed to crystallize each individual complex.

XII. Pharmaceutical Compositions

The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention contains one or moreVLA-1 antagonists of the present invention (e.g., anti-VLA-1 antibodiesand the small molecular VLA-1 antagonists identified by theabove-described rational drug design methods), or pharmaceuticallyacceptable derivatives thereof. The compositions may further contain apharmaceutically acceptable carrier, such as an adjuvant, a vehicle, abuffer, and a stabilizer.

The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may be given orally,topically, intravenously, subcutaneously, intraperitoneally,intramuscularly, intramedullarily, intraarterially, intra-articularly,intra-synovially, intrasternally, intrathecally, intrahepatically,intraspinally, intracranially as desired, or just locally at sites ofinflammation or tumor growth. The pharmaceutical compositions of thisinvention may also be administered by inhalation through the use of,e.g., a nebulizer, a dry powder inhaler or a metered dose inhaler, or byimplantation of an infusion pump or a biocompatible sustained releaseimplant into the subject.

The pharmaceutical compositions may be in the form of a sterileinjectable preparation, for example a sterile injectable aqueous oroleaginous suspension. This suspension may be formulated according totechniques known in the art using suitable dispersing, wetting, andsuspending agents. If given orally, the pharmaceutical compositions canbe administered in form of capsules, tablets, aqueous suspensions orsolutions. For topical applications, the pharmaceutical compositions maybe formulated in a suitable ointment.

The dosage and dose rate of the VLA-1 antagonists of this inventioneffective to produce the desired effects will depend on a variety offactors, such as the nature of the disease to be treated, the size ofthe subject, the goal of the treatment, the specific pharmaceuticalcomposition used, and the judgment of the treating physician. Dosagelevels of between about 0.001 and about 100 mg/kg body weight per day,for example between about 0.1 and about 50 mg/kg body weight per day, ofthe active ingredient compound are useful. For instance, antibody of theinvention will be administered at a dose ranging between about 0.01mg/kg body weight/day and about 20 mg/kg body weight/day, e.g., rangingbetween about 0.1 mg/kg body weight/day and about 10 mg/kg bodyweight/day, and at intervals of every one to fourteen days. In anotherembodiment, the antibody is administered at a dose of about 0.3 to 1mg/kg body weight when administered intraperitoneally. In yet anotherembodiment, the antibody is administered at a dose of about 5 to 12.5mg/kg body weight when administered intravenously. In one embodiment, anantibody composition is administered in an amount effective to provide aplasma level of antibody of at least 1 mg/ml.

XIII. Diseased Conditions and Animal Models

The VLA-1 antagonists of the invention are useful in the treatment,including prevention, of α₁β₁-mediated diseases such as those enumeratedabove. The treatments of this invention are effective on both human andanimal subjects afflicted with these conditions. Animal subjects towhich the invention is applicable extend to both domestic animals andlivestock, raised either as pets or for commercial purposes. Examplesare dogs, cats, cattle, horses, sheep, hogs and goats.

The efficacy of the VLA-1 antagonists of the invention can be tested invarious animal models. For instance, useful psoriasis and arthritismodels include those described in WO 00/72881. Kidney fibrosis modelsinclude those described in WO 99/61040, the Alport's syndrome kidneymodel described in Cosgove et al., 2000, Am. J. Path. 157:1649-1659, andthe SNF1 mouse model of lupus nephritis described in Kalled et al.,2001, Lupus 10:9-22. Vascular fibrosis models for restenosis include arat carotid balloon injury model described in Smith et al., 1999, Circ.Res. 84:1212-1222. Lung fibrosis models for idiopathic pulmonaryfibrosis and scleroderma-associated pulmonary fibrosis include ableomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model described in Wang et al.,1999, Thorax 54:805-812. Liver cirrhosis models for hepatitis C- oralcohol-induced cirrhosis include the bile duct ligation model describedin George et al., 1999, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:12719-12724 andthe CCL4-induced liver fibrosis model described in Shi et al., 1997,Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:10663-10668.

The efficacy of the treatments of this invention may be measured by anumber of available diagnostic tools, including physical examination,blood tests, proteinuria measurements, creatinine levels and creatinineclearance, pulmonary function tests, chest X-rays, bronchoscopy,bronchioalveolar lavage, lung biopsy, plasma blood urea nitrogen (BUN)levels, observation and scoring of scarring or fibrotic lesions,deposition of extracellular matrix such as collagen, smooth muscle actinand fibronectin, kidney function tests, ultrasound, magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI), and CT scan.

XIV. Diagnostic Methods

The antibodies of this invention can be used to diagnose diseasedconditions associated with altered all expression levels. A tissuesample from a subject, such as a tissue biopsy, body fluid sample orlavage (e.g., alveolar lavage), can be tested in an antigen captureassay, ELISA, immunohistochemistry assay, and the like using theantibodies. A tissue sample from a normal individual is used as control.

Practice of the present invention will employ, unless indicatedotherwise, conventional techniques of cell biology, cell culture,molecular biology, microbiology, recombinant DNA, protein chemistry, andimmunology, which are within the skill of the art. Such techniques aredescribed in the literature. See, for example, Molecular Cloning: ALaboratory Manual, 2nd edition (Sambrook et al., Eds.), 1989;Oligonucleotide Synthesis, (M. J. Gait, Ed.), 1984; U.S. Pat. No.4,683,195 to Mullis et al.; Nucleic Acid Hybridization, (B. D. Hames andS. J. Higgins), 1984; Transcription and Translation, (B. D. Hames and S.J. Higgins), 1984; Culture of Animal Cells (R. I. Freshney, Ed.), 1987;Immobilized Cells and Enzymes, IRL Press, 1986; A Practical Guide toMolecular Cloning (B. Perbal), 1984; Methods in Enzymology, Volumes 154and 155 (Wu et al., Eds.), Academic Press, New York; Gene TransferVectors for Mammalian Cells (J. H. Miller and M. P. Calos, Eds.), 1987;Immunochemical Methods in Cell and Molecular Biology (Mayer and Walker,Eds.), 1987; Handbook of Experiment Immunology, Volumes I-IV (D. M. Weirand C. C. Blackwell, Eds.), 1986; Manipulating the Mouse Embryo, 1986.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Exemplary methods and materialsare described below, although methods and materials similar orequivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice ortesting of the present invention. All publications and other referencesmentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Incase of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, willcontrol. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only andnot intended to be limiting. Throughout this specification and claims,the word “comprise,” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or groupof integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group ofintegers.

The following Examples are provided to illustrate the present invention,and should not be construed as limiting thereof.

EXAMPLES Chemical Reagents

Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was purchased from Sigma Chemical Co.(St. Louis, Mo.). Croton oil was purchased from ICN Biochemicals(Aurora, Ohio). Whole sheep blood in Alsevers solution was obtained fromEast Acres Biologicals (Southbridge, Mass.). Type I rat tail collagenand type IV mouse collagen were purchased from Collaborative ResearchInc. (Bedford, Mass.) and Gibco (Gaithersburg, Md.), respectively.

Balb/c female mice of 6-8 weeks of age were purchased from Taconic(Germantown, N.Y.) and the α1β1 integrin-deficient mice on a Balb/cbackground were as previously described (3).

Example 1

Monoclonal Antibodies. Function-blocking mAbs to murine antigens wereprepared in an azide-free and low endotoxin format: Ha31/8 (hamsteranti-CD49a; integrin oil) (Mendrick et al. 1995. Lab. Invest.72:367-375), Ha1/29 (hamster anti-CD49b; integrin α2) (β1) (Mendrick etal. 1995. Lab. Invest. 72:367-375; Mendrick, D. L. and D. M. Kelly 1993Lab. Invest. 69:690-702), hamster group II control mAb Ha4/8 (hamsteranti-KLH) (Mendrick, D. L. and D. M. Kelly 1993 Lab. Invest.69:690-702), and PS/2 (rat anti-CD49d; integrin α4β1 chain) (Miyake etal. 1991 J. Exp. Med. 173:599-607). In addition, the followingfunction-blocking mAbs to murine antigens were purchased as no-azide/lowendotoxin preparations from Pharmingen (San Diego, Calif.): HMβ1-1(hamster anti-CD29; integrin β1 chain) (Noto et al. 1995 Int. Immunol.7:835-842), Ha2/5 (hamster anti-CD29; integrin β1 chain) (Mendrick, D.L. and D. M. Kelly 1993 Lab. Invest. 69:690-702), 3E2 (hamsteranti-CD54, ICAM-1)(Scheynius et al. 1993 J. Immunol. 150:655-663),5H10-27 (rat anti-CD49e; integrin α5)(Kinashi, T., and T. A. Springer.1994. Blood Cells. 20:25-44), GoH3 (rat anti-CD49f; integrin α6)(Sonnenberg et al. 1987 J. Biol. Chem. 262:10376-10383), and the ratisotype control mAbs R35-95 (rat IgG2a) and R35-38 (rat IgG2b).

Adhesion Assay. Splenocytes from Balb/c mice were cultured with 20 ng/mlIL-2 for 7-12 d. Adhesion of cells to type I and type TV collagen was aspreviously described (Gotwals et al. 1996 J. Clin. Invest.97:2469-2477). Briefly, 96-well Maxisorp plates (Nunc, Napierville,Ill.) were coated with either 10 μg/ml type IV or 5 μg/ml type Icollagen and non-specific sites blocked with 1% BSA. IL-2 activatedsplenocytes were labeled with 2 μM BCECF [2′,7′-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)carboxyl fluorescein penta acetoxymethylester](Molecular Probes, Eugene,Oreg.) and incubated with 10 μg/ml of indicated mAbs for 15 min. 10⁵cells in 0.25% BSA in RPMI were then added to coated wells and incubatedfor 60 min at 37° C. Unbound cells were removed by washing three timeswith 0.25% BSA in RPMI. Adhesion was quantified using a CytoFluor 2350fluorescent plate reader (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.). The ratio of boundcells to input cells was measured and percent adhesion relative tocontrol mAb-treated cells (normalized to 100%) calculated. Backgroundvalues due to cell adhesion on wells coated with BSA alone weresubtracted.

Expression and functional blockade of α1β1 and α2β1 on activatedleukocytes. Given the key role leukocytes play in inflammation, wedecided to test whether anti-α1 and anti-α2 mAbs were capable ofblocking leukocyte adhesion to collagens. In order to obtain leukocytesexpressing high levels of both α1 and α2, murine T cells were stimulatedin vitro with IL-2 for 7-12 d. These cells expressed high levels of bothα1 and α2 (FIG. 1A), and bound well to both collagen type IV and typeI-coated surfaces (FIG. 1B). Adhesion to type IV collagen was partiallyinhibited by anti-α1 mAb alone and was not inhibited by anti-α2 mAbalone. In contrast, adhesion to type I collagen was completely inhibitedby anti-α2 mAb and anti-α1 mAb alone showed only partial inhibition.Both anti-β1 mAb and the combination of anti-α1 and anti-α2 mAbscompletely inhibited adhesion to types I and IV collagen. Havingdemonstrated that the α1β1 and α2β1 integrins are expressed on activatedT cells and that anti-α1 and α2 mAbs are able to functionally blockleukocyte adhesion to collagens, we used these mAbs to investigate thein vivo role of these integrins in animal models of inflammatorydisorders.

Example 2

Inhibition of DTH responses by anti-integrin mAbs. SRBC-induced delayedtype hypersensitivity (DTH) responses were adapted from a previouslypublished protocol (Hurtrel et al., 1992, Cell. Immunol. 142:252-263).Briefly, mice were immunized s.c. in the back with 2×10⁷ SRBC in 100 ulPBS on d 0. The mice were challenged on d 5 by injecting 1×10⁸ SRBC in25 ul PBS s.c into the right hind footpad. Footpad thickness wasmeasured with an engineer's caliper (Mitutoyo/MTI, Paramus, N.J.) 20 hafter antigen challenge, and the degree of footpad swelling calculated.Results are reported as the mean percent increase footpad thickness±SEMand calculated as % increase=[1=(Right footpad thickness 20 h afterantigen challenge/Uninjected left footpad thickness 20 h after antigenchallenge)]×100. To block the effector phase of the SRBC-induced DTHresponse, therapeutic or control mAb (100 ug), which were preparedaccording to the methods described in Example 1, was given i.p. 1 hprior to antigen challenge on d 5.

SRBC-induced DTH is a well characterized in vivo model of inflammation,and in particular psoriasis, that has been used to demonstrate theimportance of a variety of cytokines and adhesion molecules ininflammation (Tedder et al., 1995, J. Exp. Med. 181:2259-2264, Terashitaet al., 1996, J Immunol 156:4638-4643). SRBC-sensitized mice receivedanti-integrin mAbs 1 h prior to footpad antigen challenge andinflammation was assessed 20 h later as measured by increased footpadthickness. PBS and control hamster Ig-treated mice showed a 60-70%increase in footpad thickness 20 h after antigen challenge (FIG. 2).Compared to control hamster Ig treatment, anti-α1 or anti-α2 mAbsresulted in a 68% and 60% inhibition in footpad thickness, respectively.The combination of anti-α1 and α2 mAbs resulted in 71% inhibition,demonstrating little additive effect over anti-α1 or anti-α2 mAbs alone.Treatment with other anti-integrin mAbs was also effective at inhibitingDTH effector response. The degree of inhibition seen with the variousmAb treatments was 49% (anti-α4), 23% (anti-α5), and 57% (anti-α6).Lastly, mAb blockade of the common β1 integrin subunit (mAb HMBI-1)inhibited the effector DTH response by 67%.

Example 3

Inhibition of CHS effector responses by anti-integrin mAbs. Contacthypersensitivity (CHS) to FITC was assayed as previously described(Gaspari et al., 1991, In Current Protocols in Immunology. J. E.Coligan, A. M. Kruisbeek, D. H. Margulies, E. M. Shevach, and W.Strober, editors. John Wiley & Sons, New York. Section 4.2:1). Briefly,mice were sensitized by painting 100 ul 0.5% FITC in 1:1acetone/dibutylphthalate onto the shaved back on d 0.10 d later, animalswere challenged by applying 5 ul 0.5% FITC onto both sides of each ear.Ear swelling response was determined by ear thickness measured with anengineer's caliper (Mitutoyo/MTI, Paramus, N.J.) at the time of antigenchallenge (d 10) and 24 h later, and the results reported as meanpercent increase in baseline ear thickness±SEM. Increase in earthickness was calculated as % increase=[1=(Ear thickness 24 h afterantigen challenge/Ear thickness at the time of antigen challenge)]×100.To block the effector phase of the CHS response, therapeutic or controlin mAb (250 ug) was given i.p. 4 h prior to antigen challenge on d 10.Mice that were antigen-sensitized and ear challenged with vehicle only(vehicle control) or mice that were ear challenged without priorsensitization (irritant control) served as negative controls (neverexceeded 2% increase in ear thickness).

Given that CHS is mechanistically distinct from DTH and involvesdifferent effector cells, we investigated what effect anti-integrin mAbshad on the effector phase of αbacks, followed 10 d later with FITCchallenge to the ear resulting in an inflammatory response the next day.FITC-sensitized mice demonstrated a 60-70% increase in thickness 24 hafter antigen challenge (FIG. 3). Consistent with published results(Scheynius et al., J. Immunol. 150:655-663), anti-ICAM-1 mAb treatmentresulted in 51% inhibition of ear swelling. Compared to control hamstermAb, treatment of mice with anti-α1 or anti-α2 mAb 4 h prior to antigenchallenge resulted in 37% and 57% inhibition in ear swelling,respectively (FIG. 3). The combination of anti-α1 and anti-α2 mAbsresulted in slightly greater inhibition of ear swelling (65%). Treatmentwith other mAbs to β1 integrins revealed that while anti-α4 and anti-α5mAbs resulted in no inhibition of FITC-induced CHS effector responsewhen compared to control rat mAb, treatment with anti-α6 mAb resulted inan 86% inhibition of effector responses. Lastly, mAb blockade of thecommon β1 integrin subunit inhibited CHS effector responses by 74%.Similar CHS results were obtained using different strains of mice(C57/BL6, 129/Sv) and a different sensitizing agent (oxazolone) (datanot shown). Similar to the results seen in the SRBC-induced DTH model,histologic analysis of inflammed ears revealed that both edema formationand leukocytic infiltration were inhibited by anti-α1 and anti-α2 mAbtreatment.

Consistent with the finding that α1β1 and α2β1 can be expressed onIL-2-activated splenocytes, analysis of lymph nodes fromantigen-sensitized mice (FITC or oxazolone) revealed of α1β1 and α2β1 tobe expressed exclusively on CD44^(hi) LFA-1^(hi) activated CD4+ and CD8+T cells (data not shown). Treatment of mice with anti-α1 and anti-α2mAbs did not result in deletion of these cells, as the numbers ofactivated T cells in both spleen and lymph nodes seen in response toantigen sensitization in the CHS model was unaffected. In addition,effector cells were not functionally deleted as prolonged treatment ofantigen-sensitized mice with anti-α1 and anti-α2 mAbs (d 10-16) did notaffect the inflammatory response of mice challenged with antigen at d 20(data not shown).

Example 4

CHS effector responses are decreased in α1β-deficient mice. To excludethe possibility that the inhibitory role of α1β1 in the effectorresponse of FITC-mediated CHS was mAb-mediated, experiments were carriedout in wild-type and α1β1 integrin deficient mice (FIG. 4). MAbinhibition of the effector phase in wild-type mice was consistent withprevious results with 56% inhibition in ear thickness seen with anti-α1,56% with anti-α2 and 62% with a combination of anti-α1 and anti-α2. Theeffector phase of CHS was significantly reduced in untreatedα1β1-deficient mice as compared to untreated wild-type mice (30% vs 71%increase in ear thickness, respectively). As expected, the level of earswelling in untreated α1β1-deficient mice was equivalent to the level ofear swelling seen in anti-α1 mAb-treated wild-type mice. Lastly, mAbblockade of α2β1 in the α1β1-deficient mice resulted in only slightlyincreased inhibition of ear swelling, consistent with the results seenin wild-type mice treated with a combination of anti-α1 and anti-α2mAbs.

Example 5

To further exclude the possibility that the inhibitory effect of theanti-integrin mAbs seen in both the DTH and CHS models of inflammationis caused by a general anti-inflammatory effect mediated by the anti-α1and anti-α2 mAbs, the effect of these mAbs on irritant dermatitis wasstudied.

To assess irritant dermatitis, mice were painted with 5 ul of 0.8%croton oil in acetone on both sides of each ear. Therapeutic or controlantibodies were given 4 h prior to the application of the irritant. Earswelling was measured 24 h later as described above and compared to earthickness prior to croton oil application. Results are reported as meanpercent increase in baseline ear thickness±SEM as described above. Micepainted with acetone only (vehicle control) served as a negativecontrol.

24 h later, ears of mice treated with croton oil showed a significantincrease in ear thickness (48%), when compared to mice receiving vehicleonly (acetone). Toxic ear swelling caused by croton oil was notsignificantly affected in mice pretreated with anti-α1 or anti-α2 mAbswhen compared to either PBS or control mAb-treated animals (FIG. 5).Histologic examination of the croton oil-treated ears revealed nodifferences in numbers or types of infiltrating cells or edema formationin mice treated with anti-α1 or anti-α2 mAbs, as compared to controlmAb-treated mice or PBS-treated mice (data not shown).

Example 6

Inhibition of arthritis bar α1β1 and α2β1. As α1β1 is well expressed oninfiltrating cells in the synovium of arthritis patients, we decided toexamine whether anti-α1 or anti-α2 mAbs would be inhibitory in anaccelerated model of arthritis previously described (Terato et al.,1992, J. Immunol. 148:2103-2108; Terato et al., 1995, Autoimmunity22:137-147).

Arthrogen-CIA Antibody kits were purchased from Stratagene (La Jolla,Calif.) and arthritis induced using a well established protocol (Teratoet al., 1992, J. Immunol. 148:2103-2108; Terato et al., 1995,Autoimmunity 22:137-147). Briefly, arthritis was induced through i.p.injection of a cocktail of 4 anti-collagen type II mAbs (1 mg each) on d0, followed by i.p. injection of 50 ug LPS on d 3. Over the course ofthe next 3-4 d, the mice developed swollen wrists, ankles and digits.Therapeutic or control mAb (250 ug) was administered i.p. 4 h prior toinjection of the anti-collagen mAbs on d 0, and again 4 h prior to LPSadministration on d 3, and then continuing every 3^(rd) day for thelength of the experiment. Beginning on d 3, mice were evaluated for thedevelopment of arthritis. Severity of arthritis in each limb was scoredusing a four point system. 0=normal; 1=mild redness, slight swelling ofankle or wrist; 2=moderate swelling of ankle or wrist; 3=severe swellingincluding some digits, ankle, and foot; 4=maximally inflamed.

Severe arthritis in Balb/c mice developed within 72 h after LPSinjection and persisted for more than 3 weeks. Neither injection ofanti-collagen mAbs alone nor LPS alone induced arthritis. Mice receivingcontrol mAb treatment displayed equally severe arthritis as than seen inPBS-treated mice (FIG. 6). In contrast, treatment with anti-α1 mAb aloneresulted in a marked reduction (78%) in arthritis, lasting the durationof the experiment. Treatment with anti-α2 mAb alone also had abeneficial effect, resulting in a 32% decrease in the arthritic score ascompared to control b-treated mice. The combination of anti-α1 andanti-α2 mAbs resulted in a similar degree of inhibition as seen withanti-α1 mAb alone.

Example 7

Histological analysis of effect of anti-α1 and anti-α2 mAb treatment onthe inflammatory cellular infiltrate. Further histological analysis ofthe SRBC-induced DTH response confirmed the ability of anti-α1 andanti-α2 mAb treatment to modulate the elicited inflammatory response. Anunchallenged footpad from an SRBC-sensitized mouse showed virtually noinflammatory cellular infiltrate when compared to an SRBC-challengedfootpad from the same mouse. Treatment of SRBC-sensitized mice withanti-α1 α1 and anti-α2 mAbs either alone or combined greatly reduced thenumber of these infiltrating cells found in SRBC-challenged footpadswhen compared to control mAb-treated mice. Closer examination of theinfiltrating cells revealed most cells to be composed of neutrophils,with some monocytes and lymphocytes present, and confirmed that anti-α1and anti-α2 mAb treatment greatly decreased the numbers of these cells.

Example 8

Immunohistochemical demonstration of α1-expressing cells in theinflammatory cellular infiltrate. Immunohistochemistry was performed tomore precisely determine the nature of the infiltrating cells andwhether they express collagen-binding integrins. Infiltrating cells froman inflamed footpad of an untreated mouse were examined for expressionof α1β1 integrin and cell lineage markers. α1β1 integrin was found to beexpressed on many infiltrating leukocytes. Dual immunohistochemistry wasutilized to identify the nature of the infiltrating cells and thedistribution of α1β1 expression. Using cell lineage markers, theinfiltrate was found to be composed largely of granulocyte/monocytes(Mac-1+), with many of these cells being neutrophils (Gr1+), along witha smaller number of T lymphocytes (CD3+). Expression of α1β1 integrinwas found among all three subsets of cells, with α1 expressed on asubset of Mac-1+ granulocyte/monocytes, a subset of Gr1+ neutrophils,and on the majority of infiltrating CD3+ T lymphocytes. Detailedimmunohistochemical analysis revealed that although anti-α1 and anti-α2mAb treatment reduced the numbers of infiltrating cells, no change inthe cellular composition of the infiltrate was seen (data not shown).Immunohistochemistry staining with a FITC anti-hamster mAb confirmed theability of the anti-α1 and antis α2 mAb to localize to the inflamedfootpad (data not shown).

Example 9

Inhibition of arthritis by mAbs to α1β1 and α2β1 and in α1-deficientmice. As α1β1 is well expressed on infiltrating cells in the synovium ofarthritis patients, we decided to examine whether anti-α1 or anti-α2mAbs would be inhibitory in an accelerated model of arthritis previouslydescribed (Terato et al., 1992, J. Immunol. 148:2103-2108; Terato etal., 1995, Autoimmunity 22:137-147). This model involves injection of acocktail of anti-collagen type II mAbs into mice, followed later by LPSadministration, resulting in the development of arthritis over the next3-7 d. Mice were given mAb every 3^(rd) day starting at d 0, and scoredfor the development of arthritis every 3^(rd) day. Severe arthritisdeveloped in all mice within 72 h after LPS injection and persisted formore than 3 weeks. Neither injection of anti-collagen mAbs alone nor LPSalone induced arthritis. Mice receiving control mAb treatment displayedequally severe arthritis as than seen in PBS-treated mice (FIG. 7). Incontrast, treatment with anti-α1 mAb alone resulted in a markedreduction (79% and higher) in arthritis, lasting the duration of theexperiment. Treatment with anti-α2 mAb alone also had a beneficialeffect, resulting in a 37% decrease in the arthritic score as comparedto control mAb-treated mice. The combination of anti-α1 and anti-α2 mAbsresulted in a similar degree of inhibition as seen with anti-α1 mAbalone. Reduction of arthritic score with anti-α1 mAb treatment was seenin all mice and compares favorably with several other mAb-basedtreatments for arthritis such as soluble TNF receptor Ig fusion protein(Mori et al., 1996, J. Immunol. 157:3178-3182), anti-Mac-1 (Taylor etal., 1996, Immunology. 88:315-321), anti-α4 (Seiffge, 1996, J.Rheumatol. 23:2086-2091), and anti-ICAM-1 (Kakimoto et al., 1992, CellImmunol. 142:326-337). In agreement with mAb-based data showing animportant role for α1β1 in arthritis, untreated i-deficient mice showedsignificant reduction in arthritic score when compared to wild-typemice.

Example 10

Effect of anti-α1 mAb treatment on the immunopathology of arthriticjoints. Joints from wild-type arthritic mice (day 8) receiving eithercontrol mAb or anti-α1 mAb treatment were compared visually andhistologically to joints from a normal untreated mouse. Visually, jointsfrom control mAb-treated mice demonstrated redness and swelling of theentire foot including digits, while anti-α1 mAb-treated mice showedlittle if any signs of inflammation in either joints or digits.Histologic examination showed severe changes in control mAb-treatedarthritic joints, with extensive infiltration of the subsynovial tissuewith inflammatory cells, adherence of cells to the joint surface, andmarked cartilage destruction as evidenced by proteoglycan loss.Consistent with previous reports (Terato et al., 1992, J. Immunol.148:2103-2108; Terato et al., 1995, Autoimmunity 22:137-147), themajority of the infiltrating cells in this model are neutrophils.Anti-α1 mAb treatment of mice dramatically reduced the amount ofinflammatory infiltrate and the degree of cartilage destruction.

Example 11

Development of arthritis is delayed in the absence of lymphocytes andinhibition of arthritis by anti-α1 mAb occurs in the absence oflymphocytes. To determine what cell types might be important in thecollagen mAb-induced arthritis model we compared the ability ofwild-type B6-129 mice and RAG-1-deficient B6-129 mice to developarthritis (FIG. 8). Genetic deletion of the RAG-1 (recombinationactivating gene-1) gene results in a complete loss of mature T and Blymphocytes (Mombaerts et al., 1992, Cell 68:869-877). Both thewild-type and RAG-1-deficient mice developed arthritis, though thekinetics of induction in the RAG-1-deficient mice is significantlyslower (FIG. 8). These results suggest that while lymphocytes areinvolved in this model of arthritis, they are not required for thedevelopment and progression of the disease. Published reports examiningthe effect of the RAG-1-deficient mice in other models of arthritis alsofound that loss of T and B lymphocytes delayed the onset of arthritis(Plows et al., 1999, J. Immunol. 162:1018-1023). Treatment of eitherwild-type or RAG-1-deficient mice with anti-α1 mAb completely inhibitedarthritis (FIG. 8). These results demonstrate that the effectiveness ofanti-α1 mAb in this model is not dependent on the presence oflymphocytes, and that as suggested by previous experiments (FIG. 7), theefficacy of anti-α1 mAb in preventing disease may be through its actionon other α1-expressing cells, such as macrophages and neutrophils.

Example 12

Dose response of anti-α1 mAb inhibition of arthritis. Given the strikingeffects of anti-α1 mAb treatment on preventing arthritis, we extendedthese studies to include a dose response analysis (FIG. 9). Differentdoses of mAb were administered i.p. every 3^(rd) day starting at day 0.In agreement with earlier data, a 250 ug dose of anti-α1 mAb resulted innear complete prevention of arthritis. A lower dose of 100 ug of anti-α1mAb was partially effective at preventing arthritis in this model, whilelower doses did not have any discernable effect on arthritic score (FIG.9).

Example 13

Therapeutic treatment with anti-α1 mAb can decrease arthritic score.Given the effectiveness of anti-α1 mAb in preventing arthritis, weattempted to treat mice that are on their way to develop disease.Arthritis was induced in mice by injection of a cocktail ofanti-collagen type II mAbs on day 0, followed by LPS administration onday 3. Mice were then treated with either anti-α1 mAb or a soluble TNFreceptor Ig fusion protein starting on day 4. Progression of arthritiswas completely blocked in mice receiving anti-α1 mAb starting at day 4,when compared to mice receiving control hamster mAb starting at day 4(FIG. 10). The degree of inhibition seen with therapeutic administrationof anti-α1 mAb was complete and was equal to that seen with preventativetreatment of anti-α1 mAb (started at day 0) (FIG. 10). In comparison,treatment with TN receptor Ig fusion protein from day 4 onwards resultedin only a 60-70% inhibition in arthritic score when compared to controlIg fusion protein (FIG. 10). Combined treatment of anti-α1 mAb and TNFreceptor Ig fusion together was effective at completely inhibitingarthritic score, which is not surprising given the completeeffectiveness of anti-α1 mAb treatment alone in suppressing arthritis.In summary, these results indicate that therapeutic treatment withanti-α1 mAb is effective at inhibiting arthritic score, and comparesfavorably to therapeutic treatment with a TNF antagonist.

Example 14

Cloning and mutagenesis of the α1-I domain. Human and rat α1β1 integrinI domain sequences were amplified from full length cDNAs (Kem, et al.,1994, J. Biol. Chem. 269, 22811-22816; Ignatius et al., 1990, J. CellBiol. 111, 709-720) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (PCR COREKit;Boehringer Mannheim, GmbH Germany), using either human specific primers,5′-CAGGATCCGTCAGCCCCACATTTCAA-3′ [forward] (SEQ ED NO:7), and5′-TCCTCGAGGGCTTGCAGGGCAAATAT-3′ [reverse] (SEQ ID NO:8), or ratspecific primers, 5′-CAGGATCCGTCAGTCCTACATTTCAA-3′ [forward] (SEQ IDNO:9), and 5′-TCCTCGAGCGCTTCCAAAGCGAATAT-3′ [reverse] (SEQ ID NO:10).

The resulting PCR amplified products were purified, ligated intopGEX4t-i (Pharmacia), and transformed into competent DH5α cells (LifeTechnologies). Ampicillin resistant colonies were screened for theexpression of the .about.45 kDa glutathione S-transferase-I domainfusion protein. The sequences from inserts of plasmid DNA of clones thatwere selected for further characterization were confirmed by DNAsequencing.

A rat/human chimeric α1-I domain (RΔH) was generated (MORPH Mutagenesiskit; 5 prime-3 prime), exchanging the rat residues G91, R92, Q93, andL96 (FIG. 11) for the corresponding human residues, V, Q, R, and R,respectively. Clones harboring the RΔH I domain were identified by theloss of a diagnostic Stu 1 restriction enzyme site, and the insertsconfirmed by DNA sequencing. The amino acid sequence of the human α1-Idomain is shown in FIG. 12.

Example 15

Generation of mAbs specific to the α1-I domain. Monoclonal antibodieshave proved to be very useful probes in studying the relationshipbetween structure and function of integrin subunits. For example, mAbswere used extensively to study regions of the β1 subunit associated withan activated conformation (Qu, A., and Leahy, D. J. (1996) Structure 4,931-942). Thus, to identify potential probes for conformational changesof the α1-I domain, we generated a panel of mAbs to the human α1-Idomain.

Generation of anti-α1 I domain Monoclonal Antibodies. FemaleRobertsonian mice (Jackson Labs) were immunized intraperitoneally (i.p.)with 25 .μg of purified human α1β1 (Edwards et al., 1995, J. Biol. Chem.270, 12635-12640; Gotwals et al., 1999, Biochemistry 38:8280-8)emulsified with complete Freund's adjuvant (LifeTechnologies). They wereboosted three times i.p. with 25 .μg of α1β1 emulsified with incompleteFreund's adjuvant (LifeTechnologies). The mouse with the highestanti-α1-I domain titer was boosted i.p. with 100 μg of α1β1 three daysprior to fusion, and intravenously with 50 μg of α1β1 one day prior tofusion. Spleen cells were fused with FL653 myeloma cells at a 1:6 ratioand were plated at 100,000 and 33,000 per well into 96 well tissueculture plates.

Supernatants were assessed for binding to the α1β1 integrin by singlecolor FACS. Prior to FACS analysis, supernatants were incubated withuntransfected K562 cells to eliminate IgG that bound solely to the Dsubunit. Subsequently, 3−5×10⁴ K562 cells transfected with the α1integrin subunit (K562-α1) suspended in FACS buffer (1% fetal calf serum(FCS) in PBS containing 0.5% NaN₃) were incubated with supernatant for45 minutes at 4° C., washed and incubated with antis mouse IgGconjugated to phycoerythrin. After washing twice with FACS buffer, cellswere analyzed in a Becton Dickinson Flow Cytometer.

Supernatants from the resulting hybridomas were screened for binding tothe α1-I domain. Briefly, 50 μl of 30 μg/ml human α1-I-domain-(GSTfusion in PBS was coated onto wells of a 96-well plate (Nunc) overnightat 4° C. The plates were washed with PBS, blocked with 1% BSA in PBS andthe hybridoma supernatant was incubated with the I domain at roomtemperature for 1 hour. After extensive washing with PBS containing0.03% Tween 20, alkaline phosphatase linked anti-mouse IgG (JacksonImmunoResearch) was added for an additional hour. After a final wash, 1mg/ml p-nitrophenylphosphate (pNPP) in 0.1 M glycine, 1 mM ZnCl₂, and 1mM MgCl₂ was added for 30 minutes at room temperature, and the plateswere read at O.D. 405.

Selected supernatants were tested for their ability to inhibit K562-α1dependent adhesion to Collagen IV. K562-α1 cells were labeled with 2 mM2′,7′(bis-2-carboxyethyl-5 and 6) carboxyfluorescein pentaacetoxymethylester (BCECF; Molecular Probes) in DMEM containing 0.25%BSA at 37° C. for 30 minutes. Labeled cells were washed with bindingbuffer (10 mM Hepes, pH 7.4; 0.9% NaCl; and 2% glucose) and resuspendedin binding buffer plus 5 mM MgCl₂ at a final concentration of 1×10⁶cells/mL. 50 μl of supernatant was incubated with an equal volume of2×10⁵ K562-α1 cells in wells of a 96 well plate. The plate was thencentrifuged and the supernatants removed. Cells were resuspended inbinding buffer and transferred to wells of a collagen-coated plate andincubated for 1 hour at 37° C. Following incubation, the non-adherentcells were removed by washing three times with binding buffer. Attachedcells were analyzed on a Cytofluor (Millipore).

We initially identified 19 hybridomas, the supernatants of which boundto human leukemia K562 cells expressing the α1β1 integrin (K562-α1) andto the α1-I domain. The immunoglobulins were purified from each of thesehybridomas and tested for the ability to block either K562-α1 or α1-Idomain binding to collagen IV. The mAbs fall into two classes: thosethat block and those that do not block α1β1 function. For example, whilethe mAbs produced by clones AEF3, BGC5, AQC2 and AJH10 bind the α1-Idomain (FIG. 13A, data not shown for BGC5), only mAbs AJH10 and AQC2inhibit α1-I domain-dependent (FIG. 13B; FIG. 16B) or K562-α1 (FIG. 13C;FIG. 16C) adhesion to collagen IV.

Sequencing of the Complementarity Determining Regions. To establish theclonal origin of this panel of mAbs, we amplified by PCR and sequencedthe CDRs from 12 of the 19 antibodies (data not shown).

2 μg of mRNA, isolated from 10⁷ hybridomas (FastTrack mRNA isolationkit, Invitrogen), was reverse transcribed (Ready-To-Go You Prime FirstStrand Kit, Pharmacia Biotech) using 25 pM each of the followingprimers: heavy chain VH1FOR-2 (Michishita et al., 1993, Cell72:857-867); light chain, VK4FOR, which defines four separate oligos(Kern et al., 1994, J. Biol. Chem. 269:22811-22816). For each hybridoma,heavy and light chains were amplified in four separate PCR reactionsusing various combination of the following oligos: 1) Heavy chain:VH1FR1K (Kamata et al., 1995, J. of Biol. Chem. 270:12531-12535),VH1BACK, VH1BACK (Baldwin et al. (1998) Structure 6, 923-935),V_(H)fr1a, V_(H)fr1b, V_(H)fr1e, V_(H)fr1f, V_(H)fr1g (Ignatius et al.(1990) J. Cell Biol. 111, 709-720), or VH1FOR-2 (Michishita, M., Videm,V., and Arnaout, M. A. (1993) Cell 72, 857-867); 2) Light chain: VK1BACK(Baldwin et al. (1998) Structure 6, 923-935), VK4FOR, VK2BACK oligos(Kern et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 22811-22816), or V_(K)fr1a,V_(H)fr1c, V_(H)fr1e, V_(H)fr1f (Ignatius et al. (1990) J. Cell Biol.111, 709-720). Products were amplified (5 min at 95° C., 50 cycles of 1min at 94° C., 2 min at 55° C., 2 min at 72° C., and a final cycle of 10min at 72° C.), gel purified (QIAquick, Qiagen), and sequenced directlyusing various of the listed oligos on an ABI 377 Sequencer.

Sequences from clones producing function-blocking mAbs were nearlyidentical across all the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) andthe intervening framework regions suggesting that these hybridomas areclonally related.

Example 16

Immunoblotting and FACS Analysis. Sequences of the variable regions ofthe non-blocking antibodies were markedly different from the clonallyrelated family of sequences found for the blocking antibodies. As theblocking antibodies appear to originate from a single clone, we chosetwo (AJH10 and AQC2) to characterize further.

Immunoblotting. The smooth muscle cell layer dissected from sheep aorta,and K562-α1 cells were extracted with 1% Triton X-100 in 50 mM Hepes, pH7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 10 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl flouride (PMSF), 20 μg/mlaprotinin, 10 μg/ml leupeptin, 10 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid(EDTA). Samples were subjected to 4-20% gradient SDS-PAGE, andelectroblotted onto nitrocellulose membranes. The blots were blockedwith 5% dry milk in TBS; washed in TBS containing 0.03% Tween-20, andincubated with antibodies in blocking buffer containing 0.05% NaN₃ for 2hours. Blots were then washed as before, incubated with horseradishperoxidase conjugated anti-mouse IgG for one hour, washed again and thentreated with ECL reagent (Amersham). Blots were then exposed to film(Kodak) for 30 to 60 seconds, and developed.

Immunoblotting and FACS analysis (FIG. 14) demonstrate that AJH10 reactswith human, rabbit, and sheep, but not rat α1β1 integrin suggesting thatthe blocking mAbs bind to an evolutionarily conserved, linear epitope.The non-blocking mAbs were neither efficient at immunoblotting nor didthey react with species other than human.

Example 17

Binding of the α1-I Domain to Collagen is Divalent Cation-Dependent

A. Purification of the α1-I Domains.

The α1-I domains were expressed in E. coli as GST(glutathione-S-transferase) fusion proteins containing a thrombincleavage site at the junction of the sequences. The clarifiedsupernatant from cells lysed in PBS was loaded onto a glutathioneSepharose 4B column (Pharmacia) which was washed extensively with PBS.The α1-I domain-GST fusion protein was eluted with 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH8.0, 5 mM glutathione (reduced). For denaturation studies, the I domainwas cleaved with thrombin in 50 mM Tris, pH 7.5, and purified from theGST fusion partner. DTT was added to 2 mM and the sample was loaded on aglutathione Sepharose 4B column. The flow-through and wash fractionswere pooled and loaded onto a Q Sepharose FF column (Pharmacia). Theα1-I domain was eluted with 50 mM Tris HCl, pH 7.5, 10 mM2-mercaptoethanol, 75 mM NaCl. The purified I domain displayed itspredicted mass (Lee et al. (1995) Structure 3, 1333-1340, 871 Da) byelectrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), migrated as a singleband by SDS-PAGE, and the protein eluted as a single peak of appropriatesize by size exclusion chromotography on a Superose 6 FPLC column(Pharmacia).

B. Functional Analysis

96 well plates were coated overnight at 4° C. with 1 μg/ml collagen IV(Sigma) or collagen Type I (Collaborative Biomedical), washed withTriton buffer (0.1% Triton X-100; 1 mM MnCl₂; 25 mM Tris-HCl; 150 mMNaCl), and blocked with 3% bovine serum albumin (BSA) in 25 mM Tris-HCl;150 mM NaCl (TBS). Serial dilutions of the α1-I domain-GST fusionprotein in TBS containing 1 mM MnCl.sub.2 and 3% BSA were incubated onthe coated plates at room temperature for 1 hour, and washed in Tritonbuffer. Bound α1-I domain was detected with serial additions of 10μg/mlbiotinylated anti-GST polyclonal antibody (Pharmacia);ExtrAvidin-horseradish peroxidase (Sigma) diluted 1:3000 in TBScontaining 1 mM MnCl₂ and 3% BSA, and 1-Step ABTS(2,2′-Azine-di[3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonate]; Pierce). Plates wereread at O.D. 405 on a microplate reader (Molecular Devices).

Results.

The human and rat (95% identity to human) α1-I domains were expressed inE. coli as GST-fusion proteins and purified over glutathione sepharose.Both proteins were examined for binding to collagen I and IV using avariation of an ELISA-based assay previously described (Qu, A., andLeahy, D. J. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 10277-10281). Thehuman α1-I domain binds collagen IV with better efficiency than collagenI (FIG. 15A). An antibody specific to the α1-I domain, but not anantibody specific to the α2-I domain (FIG. 15B) abrogated binding toboth ligands (data for collagen I is not shown). Both Mn²⁺ and Mg²⁺stimulated binding, and EDTA reduced binding to background levels (FIG.15C). No measurable differences in ligand binding were detected betweenthe human and rat α1-I domains suggesting that the sequence differencesbetween species are not functionally relevant (data not shown). Thus,the α1-I domain, specifically, require cation for efficient ligandbinding.

Example 18

A Cation-Dependent Epitope Resides near the MIDAS motif. We exploitedthe observation that AJH10 recognizes the human, but not the rat α1-Idomain sequences to map the epitope for the α1β1 function-blocking mAbs.The human and rat sequences differ by only 12 amino acids, 4 of whichlie in a stretch of 6 amino acids (aa 92-97, FIG. 11A) adjacent to thecritical threonine (FIG. 11A, aa 98) within the MIDAS motif. To test thehypothesis that the 6 amino acid residues, Val-Gln-Arg-Gly-Gly-Arg(residues 91-96 of SEQ ID NO:64), comprise the epitope for the blockingmAbs, we constructed a chimeric I domain (RΔH), exchanging the ratresidues G91, R92, Q93, and L96, for the corresponding human residues,V, Q, R, and R, respectively. AJH10, along with all thefunction-blocking mAbs, recognizes the chimeric I domain (RΔH; FIG.11B).

To orient these residues with respect to the MIDAS domain in thetertiary structure of the α1-I domain, we modeled the α1-I domain usingthe coordinates of the crystal structure of the α2 I domain.

A homology model of the human α2 I-domain was built using the X raycrystal structure of the human α2 I-domain (Ward et al. (1989) Nature341, 544-546). The model was built using the homology modeling module ofInsight II (version 2.3.5; Biosym Technologies). The program CHARMM(Clackson et al. (1991) Nature 352, 624-628) was used with theall-hydrogen parameter set 22 with a distant dependent dielectricconstant of two times the atom separation distance. We first did 1000steps of steepest descent minimization with mass-weighted harmonicpositional constraints of 1 kcal/(mol Å²) on all atoms of the α1-Idomain. This minimization was followed by another 1000 steps of steepestdescent and 5000 steps of Adopted-Basis Newton Raphson with constraintsof 0.1 kcal/(mol Å²) on the C-α atoms of the α1-I domain to avoidsignificant deviations from the α2-I domain X-ray crystal structure.

The α1β1 and α2β1 integrin sequences exhibit 51% identity with noinsertions or deletions, suggesting that the overall structure of thetwo I domains will be similar. The metal coordination site is predictedto be the same in the α1-I domain as in the α2-I domain, and theresidues that comprise the epitope for the blocking mAbs lie on a loopbetween helix α3 and helix α4 which contains the threonine within theMIDAS motif critical for cation binding. The α1-I domain model predictsthat the amide nitrogen of Q92 (FIG. 1 IA) hydrogen bonds with thecarbonyl group of I33, the residue adjacent to S32. Thus, the loop thatcontains the epitope may play a functional role in stabilizing the MIDASregion.

Example 19

Monoclonal antibody AQC2 (i.e., mAQC2; “m” for murine) (Example 15,supra) is an IgG₁, kappa antibody. To identify the nucleotide sequencesencoding the heavy and light chains of this antibody, total cellular RNAfrom AQC2 murine hybridoma cells was obtained by using a QIAGEN RNEASYmidi kit in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Then cDNAsencoding the variable regions of the heavy and light chains were clonedby RT-PCR from total cellular RNA using a GIBCO BRL SUPERSCRIPTPreamplification System for First Strand cDNA Synthesis following themanufacturer's recommended protocol. Random hexamers were used forpriming.

The heavy chain variable domain of mAQC2 was amplified by PCR from thefirst strand cDNA with the primers: 5′ TGA GGA GAC GGT GAC CGT GGC CCTTGG CCC C 3′ (SEQ ID NO:11) and 5′ AGG TSM ARC TGC AGS AGT CWG G 3′(S=C/G, M=A/C, R=A/G, and W=A/T) (SEQ ID NO:12). The PCR was subjectedto 30 cycles using Clontech's Advantage Taq polymerase: denature 30 secat 94° C., anneal 1 min at 50° C., and elongate 1.5 min at 68° C. ThemAQC2 light chain with its signal sequence was amplified by PCR usingthe primers: 5′ ACT AGT CGA CAT GGA TTT WCA GGT GCA GAT TWT CAG CTT C 3′(W=A/T) (SEQ ID NO:13) and 5′ ACT GGA TGG TGG GAA GAT GGA 3′ (SEQ IDNO:14). The PCR was subjected to 30 cycles using Stratagene's cloned Pfupolymerase: denature 1 min at 94° C., anneal 1 min at 50° C., andelongate 2 min at 72° C. The PCR products for the heavy and light chainswere gel-purified using a QIAGEN QIAQUICK gel extraction kit followingthe manufacturer's recommended protocol.

Purified heavy chain product was subcloned into Invitrogen's pCR2.1-TOPOTA vector using its TOPO TA cloning kit. Purified light chain wassubcloned into Invitrogen's pCRbluntIITOPO vector using its Zero bluntTOPO cloning kit following the manufacturer's recommended protocol.Inserts from multiple independent subclones were sequenced. With theexception of degenerate positions within the PCR primers, the insertsequences of the independent subclones were identical.

The polypeptide sequences of mAQC2 were deduced from their codingsequences. The N-terminal amino acid sequence for the mature light chainpredicted by the cDNA sequence from the PCR product amplified with asignal sequence exactly matched the N-terminal sequence of purifiedmAQC2 light chain derived from Edman degradation (DVKVVESGG; SEQ IDNO:15). BLAST analyses of the variable domain sequences confirmed theirimmunoglobulin identity.

The polypeptide sequence of the light chain variable domain of mAQC2 isshown below:

(SEQ ID NO: 1) 1 QIVLTQFPAL MSASPGEKVT MTCSASSSVN HMFWYQQKPK 41SSPKPWIYLT SNLASGVPAR FSGSGSGTSY SLTISSMEAE 81DAATYYCQQW SGNPWTFGGG TKLEIK  106The CDRs are shown in boldface. The CDRs are defined according to Kabatet al., Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th Edition,The United States Department of Health and Human Services, The UnitedStates Government Printing Office, 1991. Using the Kabat numberingsystem, SEQ ID NO:1 is represented as follows, where a dash denotes theabsence of an amino acid:

1 QIVLTQFPAL MSASPGEKVT MTCSASS-SV NHMFWYQQKP 41KSSPKPWIYL TSNLASGVPA RFSGSGSGTS YSLTISSMEA 81EDAATYYCQQ WSGNPWTFGG GTKLEIK 107

The polypeptide sequence of the heavy chain variable domain of mAQC2 is:

(SEQ ID NO: 2) 1 DVKVVESGGG LVKPGGSLKL ACAASGFSFS RYTMSWVRQI 41PEKRLEWVAT ISGGGHTYYL DSVKGRFTIS RDNAKNTLYL 81QMSSLRSEDT AMYYCTRGFG DGGYFDVWGQ GTTVTVSSThe CDRs are shown in boldface. Using the Kabat numbering system, SEQ IDNO:2 is represented as follows, where positions numbers are consecutivenumerals unless otherwise indicated:

  1 DVKVVESGGG LVKPGGSLKL ACAASGFSFS RYTMSWVRQI  41PEKRLEWVAT ISGGGHTYYL DSVKGRFTIS RDNAKNTLYL  81 QM  82a-c SSL  83RSEDTAMY YCTRGFGDGG 100a-b YF 101 DVWGQGTTVT VSS 113

As used herein, residue position numbers of variable domains aredesignated in accordance with the Kabat numbering system unlessotherwise indicated.

Example 20

This example describes the generation of a murine-human chimericantibody, chAQC2.

The cDNAs encoding the variable regions of the mAQC2 heavy and lightchains were used to construct chAQC2 expression vectors, in which themAQC2 variable regions were linked to human IgG₁ and kappa constantregions.

The heavy chain chimera was constructed as follows. A 0.33 kbPstI-BstEII fragment from the mAQC2 heavy chain plasmid pAND083 wassubcloned into the phosphatased 2.82 kb PstI-BstEU vector fragment fromthe 5a8 heavy chain plasmid pLCB7, so as to add a murine heavy chainsignal-encoding sequence and a murine splice donor site to the cDNA ofthe mAQC2 heavy chain variable region. 5a8 is a molecularly clonedCD4-specific mAb (see, e.g., Boon et al., 2002, Toxicology 172:191-203).In the mature heavy chain encoded by the resultant plasmid (pAND092),the N-terminus differed by five residues from the N-terminus (DVKVVE;SEQ ID NO:16) of the cognate mAQC2 heavy chain.

To correct the heavy chain N-terminus, pAND092 was subjected to uniquesite elimination (USE) mutagenesis using an USE mutagenesis kit(Amersham Pharmacia Biotech) following the manufacturer's recommendedprotocol. The Q1D, Q3K, L4V, Q5V, Q6E substitutions were encoded by themutagenic primer 5′ GCA CCA GGT GCC CAC TCC GAC GTC AAG GTG GTG GAG TCAGGG GGA GGC TTA GTG 3′ (SEQ ID NO:17). Mutated plasmid clones wereidentified by their new AatII and HinfI sites and eliminated PstI site.The heavy chain coding sequence was then confirmed by DNA sequencing.The correctly mutated plasmid was called pAND094. The 0.43 kbNotI-HindIII fragment from pAND094 and the 1.21 kb HindIII-NotI fragmentfrom the plasmid pEAG964 (containing a coding sequence for a human IgG₁constant region) were subcloned into the NotI site of pCH269, a plasmidderived from the pCEP4 EBV expression vector (Invitrogen). The resultantplasmid was named pAND099.

The light chain chimera was generated as follows. A 0.46 kb EcoRIfragment from the mAQC2 light chain variable domain plasmid pAND081 wassubcloned into the phosphatased 2.7 kb vector fragment of thepUC-derived pNN09 cloning vector, to add a 5′ NotI site. The resultingplasmid, pAND091, was subjected to mutagenesis using the Amersham USEkit (supra) to introduce a BglII site at the 3′ end of the codingsequence. The mutagenic primer had the sequence 5′ GGA GGC ACC AAG CTGGAG ATC TAA CGG GCT GAT GCT GC 3′ (SEQ TD NO: 18). The correctly mutatedplasmid was identified by its BglII and BstYI site changes. The lightchain coding sequence in the resultant plasmid pAND093 was confirmed byDNA sequencing. Then the 0.44 kb NotI-BglII light chain variable domainfragment from pAND093 and the 0.68 kb BclI-NotI fragment from theplasmid pEAG963 (containing a coding sequence for a human kappa lightchain constant domain) were subcloned into the NotI site of pCH269(supra), producing plasmid pAND102. To create an unblocked kappa lightchain (Q1E), pAND093 was subjected to USE mutagenesis with the mutagenicprimer 5′ CAT MT GTC CAG GGG AGA AAT TGT TCT CAC CCA G 3′ (SEQ IDNO:19), to introduce an XmnI site. The mutated plasmid was identified byscreening for an XmnI site change. The light chain sequence in theresultant plasmid pAND097 was confirmed by DNA sequencing. The 0.44 kbNotI-BglII light chain variable domain fragment from pAND097 and the0.68 kb BclI-NotI fragment from the plasmid pEAG963 (containing a humankappa light chain constant domain) were subcloned into the NotI site ofpCH269, producing plasmid pAND098.

To generate chAQC2 antibodies, expression vectors (chAQC2 heavy chainvector pAND099-I chAQC2 light chain vector pAND102, and chAQC2 heavychain vector pAND099+chAQC2 unblocked light chain vector pAND098) wereco-transfected into 293-EBNA cells. The transfectants were tested forantibody secretion and specificity. The controls were cells transfectedwith the corresponding vectors without an insert or with DNA constructsencoding ch5c8 (a molecularly cloned CD154-specific mAb described in,e.g., Elster et al., 2001, Transplantation 72:1473-1478) or chCBE11 (amolecularly cloned LTβR-specific mAb described in, e.g., Browning etal., 1996, J. Biol. Chem. 271:24934-24938).

Then transfectants with the desired antibody secretion were lysed, andprotein A immunoprecipitation was performed on the lysates andconditioned medium. Western blot analysis of the precipitates performedwith anti-human heavy and light chain antibodies indicated thatchAQC2-transfected cells synthesized and efficiently secreted heavy andlight chains at levels similar to ch5c8-transfected andchCBE11-transfected cells. Further, huVLA-1-expressing K562α1 cells werestained with the conditioned medium from the transfected cells, and FACSanalysis was performed on the stained cells. The results indicated thatthe chAQC2 antibody produced staining patterns similar to those ofmAQC2, while conditioned media from mock-transfected andch5c8-transfected cells failed to stain K562α1 cells. Chimeric AQC2produced from scaled-up transient transfection was purified and shown tobind to VLA-1 by FACS titration. Chimeric AQC2 with either a wildtype ora genetically unblocked light chain bound to VLA-1. See also FIGS. 16A-D(discussed below).

Example 21

This example describes a method of humanizing the mAQC2 monoclonalantibody.

Analysis of the mAQC2 variable domains. The variable domains in thelight and heavy chains of mAQC2 were compared with the consensussequences for mouse and human subgroups (Kabat et al, supra) using thesoftware program FASTA. The light chain variable domain was found to bea member of mouse subgroup VI with 89% identity in a 109 amino acidoverlap. This domain also corresponded to human subgroup I with 72%identity in a 113 amino acid overlap. The heavy chain variable domainwas found to be a member of mouse subgroup IIId with 86% identity in a129 amino acid overlap. This heavy chain variable domain alsocorresponded to human subgroup III with 79% identity in a 130 amino acidoverlap.

The CDRs were categorized into canonical classes according to Chothia etal., Nature 342, pp. 877-883 (1989). The key residues defining eachcanonical class determine to a large extent the structural conformationof the CDR loop, and thus should be retained in the reshaped antibody.The L1 loop of mAQC2 fell into canonical class 1 (10 residue loop), L2into class 1 (7 residue loop) and L3 into class 1 (9 residue loop). TheH1 loop fell into class 1 (5 residue loop) and the H2 loop into class 1(16 residue loop) residues. The H3 loop did not seem to belong to anycanonical class. The canonical residues important for these classes wereall included in the humanized antibodies.

Unusual framework residues in mAQC2 were determined by analyzing allmouse and human variable chain sequences in the September 1999 versionof the Kabat database. It was believed that mAQC2-specific differencesmight indicate somatic mutations that enhance binding affinity if thesedifferences were close to the binding site. Unusual mAQC2 residuesfurther away from the binding site and unusual human framework residueswere removed in case they would create immunogenic epitopes in thehumanized antibody. Unusual framework residues found in mAQC2 were 7(F),10(L), and 41(K) in the light chain; and 4(V), 21(A), and 40(I) in theheavy chain. None of these unusual mouse framework residues wereretained the humanized antibodies.

Modeling the structure of the variable regions. The light and heavychains of mAQC2 were aligned against a nonredundant database todetermine which structural frames to use to construct three-dimensionalmodels of the mAQC2 light and heavy chains. Using FASTA, the light chainwas found to have 82% sequence identity to monoclonal murine antibodyab57 (1CLOL), whereas the heavy chain was found to have 76% sequenceidentity to murine 6d9 Fab fragment (1HYY). Using the molecular modelingsoftware package SYBYL (Tripos Inc.), the approximate three dimensionalstructures of the mAQC2 light and heavy chains were built using thelight chain of ab57 and the heavy chain of 6d9, respectively. Thestructural integrity of the models was assessed at the console and wasfound to be reasonable.

Design of the reshaped variable regions. Two approaches were used tochoose human acceptor frameworks to “accept” mAQC2's CDRs. The firstapproach was by homology matching and the other by using consensus humanIg sequences. Under the homology approach, the Kabat database, thenonredundant database from NCBI, ENTREZ (The National Institutes ofHealth), and the Incyte database were searched using the softwareprograms FASTA and BLAST. The choice of human acceptor frameworks wasmade based on sequence identity between mAQC2 frameworks and humanframeworks (excluding frameworks from previously humanized antibodies)and the source of the antibody.

The frameworks from an immunoglobulin variable region gene having aGENBANK accession number of gi:587330 (human kappa subgroup I Vκ-1c147)were eventually chosen for the light chain of the humanized antibody(Welschof et al., J. Immunol. Meth. 179:203-14 (1995)). The frameworksfrom Amulc11 (Kabat E D 044469; human subgroup III) were chosen for theheavy chain of the humanized antibody (Huang et al., J. Immunol.151:5290-300 (1993)).

Back mutations of the human frameworks. Strategies for determining whichback mutations to make are available on the Humanization by Design websites under mirrored urls on the worldwide web atmathbio.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/jsaldan and cryst.bbk.ac.uk/˜ubcg07s. Previousexperiments have shown that it is important to retain canonicalresidues, interface packing residues and unusual murine residues thatare close to the binding site. In addition, residues in the “VernierZone,” which forms a platform on which the CDRs rest (Foote et al., J.Mol. Biol. 224, p. 487 (1992)) and those close to CDR H3 should beconsidered.

Four reshaped versions were designed for each of the variable light andheavy chains, as shown in Table 1. Two of the four versions for eachchain were designed by homology matching (designated huAQC2-h1 and -h2)and the other two versions by consensus matching (huAQC2-c1 and c2). Itshould be noted that the sequences for huAQC-h1 heavy chain and huAQC-c1heavy chain are identical.

TABLE 1 Sequences of mAQC2, huAQC2, and human frameworks LIGHT CHAIN          FR1 Vk-1c147 D--M--S-SSL---V-DR--I--* huAQC2-h2------S-SSL---V-DR--I-- huAQC2-hl ------S-SSL---V-DR--I-- mAQC2QIVLTQFPALMSASPGEKVTMTC huAQC2-c1 --Q---S-SSL---V-DR--I-- huAQC2-c2--Q---S-SSL---V-DR--I--       CDR1        FR2 Vk-1c147 R---Q-ISYLN------GKA--LL-- huAQC2-h2 ----------- ------GKA--LL-- huAQC2-hl----------- ------GKA------ mAQC2 SASSSVNHMF WYQQKPKSSPKPWIY huAQC2-c1----------- ------GKA------ huAQC2-c2 ----------- ------GKA--LL-- CDR2    FR3 Vk-1c147 AA-S-Q- ---S---------DFT-----LQP--F----- huAQC2-h2------- ---S---------D-T-----LQP--F----- huAQC2-h1 ----------S---------D-T-----LQP--F----- mAQC2 LTSNLASGVPARFSGSGSGTSYSLTISSMEAEDAATYYC huAQC2-c1 ----------S---------D-T-----LQP--F----- huAQC2-c2 ----------S---------D-T-----LQP--F----- Framework CDR3 FR4 Changes Vk-1c147--SYST-L- ------V--- 25 huAQC2-h2 ------- ------V--- 21 huAQC2-h1------- ------V--- 19 mAQC2 QQWSGNPWT FGGGTKLEIK**  0 huAQC2-c1 ---------Q---V--- 21 huAQC2-c2 ------- --Q---V--- 23SEQ ID NOs: 65, 51, 49, 1, 66, and 54, respectively, inorder of appearance. HEAVY CHAIN:              FR1 CDR1 AMU1C11E-QL-------IQ-----R-S------TV- SNY-- huAQC2-h2E-QL-------IQ-----R-S------T-- ----- huAQC2-h1--QL--------Q-----R-S--------- ----- mAQC2DVKVVESGGGLVKPGGSLKLACAASGFSFS RYTMS huAQC2-c1--QL--------Q-----R-S--------- ----- huAQC2-c2E-QL--------Q-----R-S------T-- -----        FR2     CDR2 AMU1C11----A-G-G----S V-YS-S---A------ huAQC2-h2 ----A-G-G--------------------- huAQC2-h1 ----A-G-G----- ---------------- mAQC2WVRQIPEKRLEWVA TISGGGHTYYLDSVKG huAQC2-c1 ----A-G-G--------------------- huAQC2-c2 ----A-G-G----- ---------------- FR3 CDR3AMU1C11 --------S--------N---A----V---AS IRFLEWS--Y huAQC2-h2--------S--------N---A----V----- ---------- huAQC2-h1--------S--------N---A----V----- ---------- mAQC2RFTISRDNAKNTLYLQMSSLRSEDTAMYYCTR GFGDGGYFDV huAQC2-c1--------S--------N---A----V----- ---------- huAQC2-c2--------S--------N---A----V----- ---------- FR4 Framework changesAMU1C11 -----L----- 20 huAQC2-h2 -----L----- 16 huAQC2-h1 -----L----- 13mAQC2 WGQGTTVTVSS***  0 huAQC2-c1 -----L----- 13 huAQC2-c2 -----L-----15 SEQ ID NOs: 67, 44, 42, 2, 42 and 68, respectively, inorder of appearance. *Dashes indicate identity with the mAQC2 amino acidsequence. *Part of SEQ ID NO: 1. ***Part of SEQ ID NO: 2.

Some of the back mutations are discussed below.

(1) Light Chain:

-   -   1 D->Q This mutation was made in all versions since previous        reshaping experiments (e.g. Kolbinger et al, Protein Eng. 6, p.        971 (1993)) suggested its importance for antigen binding.    -   4 M->L This is a vernier residue and was retained in all        versions,    -   46 L->P This residue is both an interfacial and vernier residue        and was retained only in h1 and c1.    -   47 L->W This is a vernier residue and was retained only in h1        and c1.    -   71 F>Y This residue is in an important canonical position and        was retained in all versions.

(2) Heavy Chain:

-   -   1 E->D This back mutation was made in h1 (i.e., c1) only.    -   12 I->V The residue I is unusual in human and was retained in        the h2 only.    -   28 T->S This is a vernier residue and was retained in h1 only.    -   29 V->F This is a canonical residue and was retained in all        versions.    -   49 S->A This is a vernier residue and was retained in all        versions.    -   93 A->T This is a vernier residue and interfacial and was        retained in all versions.    -   94 S->R This is a canonical residue and was retained in both        versions.

The huAQC2 variable regions were made by USE mutagenesis as describedabove, using the chAQC2 variable domain plasmids as starting templates.The human acceptor framework (“FR”) cDNA sequences were Kabat #Z37334for the light chain and Kabat #U00490 for the heavy chain. To facilitateidentification of mutated plasmids, silent mutations were introduced tochange restriction sites. Mutated plasmids were identified by therestriction site changes. The variable region cDNA sequences in theresultant plasmids were confirmed by DNA sequencing.

The h1 and c1 versions of heavy chain (which were identical) were madeby using plasmid pAND094 as template. The mutagenic primers were: FR1primer 5′GGT GCC CAC TCC GAC GTC CAG CTG GTC GAG TCA GGG GGA GGC TTA GTCCAC CCT GGA GGG TCC CTG AGA CTC TCC TGT GCA GCC TCT GGA TTC 3′ (SEQ IDNO:20), which introduced TaqI and PvuII sites, and eliminated a DdeIsite; FR2 primer 5′ ATG TCT TGG GTT CGC CAG GCT CCG GGG AAG GGG CTG GAGTGG GTC GCA ACC 3′ (SEQ ID NO:21), which introduced a NciI site, andeliminated BspEI and EarI sites; FR3 primer 5′ TTC ACC ATC TCC AGA GACAAT TCC AAG AAC ACC CTG TAC CTG CAG ATG AAC AGT CTG AGG GCC GAG GAC ACAGCC GTG TAT TAC TGT ACA AGA 3′ (SEQ ID NO:22), which introduced PstI andDdeI sites; and FR4 primer 5′ TGG GGC CAA GGT ACC CTG GTC ACC GTC TCCTCA GGT GAG 3′ (SEQ ID NO:23), which introduced KpnI and Eco0109I sites.The resultant h1 (i.e., c1) heavy chain plasmid was designated pAND104.

The c2 version of heavy chain were made by using pAND104 as templatewith the following mutagenic primers: FR1 primer 5′ TCC TGT GCA GCC TCTGGA TTC ACC TTC AGT AGG TAT ACT ATG TCT TGG GTT 3′ (SEQ ID NO:24), whichintroduced an AccI site; and FR1 primer 5′ GCA CCA GGT GCG CAC TCC GAGGTC CAG CTG GTC GAG TCA 3′ (SEQ ID NO:25), which introduced an FspI siteand eliminated an AatII site. The resultant c2 heavy chain plasmid wasdesignated pAND115.

The h2 version of heavy chain were made by using pAND115 as templatewith the following primer: FR1 primer 5′ GAG TCA GGG GGA GGC TTA ATC CAGCCT GGA GGG TCC CTG 3′ (SEQ ID NO:26), which eliminated a DdeI site. Theresultant h2 heavy chain plasmid was designated pAND113.

To generate expression vectors for the huAQC2 heavy chains, the 0.43 kbNotI-HindIII heavy chain variable domain fragment from pAND104, pAND115,or pAND113, and the 1.21 kb HindIII-NotI fragment from pEAG964 (supra)were subcloned into the NotI site of pCH269 (supra). The resultant heavychain expression plasmids were designated pAND114 (h1), pAND121 (c2),and pAND124 (h2), respectively.

The h1 version of light chain were made by using plasmid pAND093 astemplate. The mutagenic primers were: FR1 primer 5′ CAA ATT GTT CTC ACCCAG TCT CCA TCC TCC CTG TCT GCG TCT GTA GGG GAC AGA GTC ACC ATC ACA TGCAGT GCC AGC TCA 3′ (SEQ ID NO:27), which removed BstEII and PstI sites;FW primer 5′ TTC TGG TAT CAG CAG AAG CCC GGG AAA GCC CCC AAA CCC TGG ATT3′ (SEQ D NO:28), which introduced an NciI site; FR3 primer 5 GCT TCTGGA GTC CCT TCA CGC TTC AGT GGC AGT GGG TCT GGG ACA GAT TAC ACT CTC ACAATC AGC AGC CTG CAA CCT GAA GAT TTT GCC ACT TAT TAC TGC CAG 3′ (SEQ IDNO:29), which introduced a DdeI site and eliminated Eco0109I and AvaIIsites; and FR4 primer 5S GGT GGA GGC ACT AAG GTG GAG ATC TAA CGG GCT 3′(SEQ ID NO:30), which introduced DdeI and StyI sites. The resultant h1light chain plasmid was designated pAND103.

The h2 version of light chain were made by using pAND103 as templatewith the following primer: FR2 primer 5′ CCC GGG AAA GCG CCC AAA CTC CTGATT TAT CTC ACA TCC 3′ (SEQ ID NO:31), which introduced HhaI and HaeIIsites. The resultant h2 light chain plasmid was designated pAND116.

The c1 version of light chain used plasmid pAND103 template with thefollowing primers: FR1 primer 5′ GCC TCA GTC ATA ATG TCC CGG GGA CAA ATTCAG CTC ACC CAG TCT CCA TCC 3′ (SEQ ID NO:32), which introduced SmaI,NciI, and HpaII sites; FR4 primer 5′ GGT AAC CCG TGG ACG TTC GGT CAG GGCACT AAG GTG GAG ATC TAA CGG GCT 3′ (SEQ ID NO:33), which introduced aBsp1286I site. The resultant c1 light chain plasmid was designatedpAND118.

The c2 version of light chain were made by using plasmid pAND116template with the following primers: FR1 primer 5′ GCC TCA GTC ATA ATGTCC CGG GGA CAA ATT CAG CTC ACC CAG TCT CCA TCC 3′ (SEQ ID NO:34), whichintroduced SmaI, NciI, and HpaII sites; FR4 primer 5′ GGT AAC CCG TGGACG TTC GGT CAG GGC ACT AAG GTG GAG ATC TAA CGG GCT 3′ (SEQ ID NO:35),which introduced a Bsp1286I site. The resultant c2 light chain plasmidwas designated pAND119.

To generate expression vectors for the huAQC2 light chains, the 0.44 kbNotI-BglII light chain variable domain fragment from pAND103, pAND116,pAND118, or pAND119, and the 0.68 kb BclI-NotI fragment from pEAG963(supra) were subcloned into the NotI site of pCH269 (supra). Theresultant light chain expression vectors were designated pAND117 (h1),pAND120 (h2), pAND122 (c1), and pAND123 (c2), respectively.

The expression vectors were co-transfected into 293-EBNA cells, andtransfected cells were tested for antibody secretion and specificity.Cells transfected with an empty vector served as negative control. Thewhole cell lysates and the conditioned medium were immuno-precipitatedwith protein A. Western blot analysis of the precipitates (developedwith anti-human heavy and light chain antibodies) indicated thathuAQC2-transfected cells synthesized and efficiently secreted heavy andlight chains at levels similar to chAQC2-transfected cells.

FACS analysis of VLA-1 expressing K 562α1 cells stained with conditionedmedium from the transfected cells was then performed. To do so, theK562α1 cells were incubated with the conditioned medium on ice for 120min. The cells were then washed three times with a FACS buffer (PBS with5% FBS and 0.05% sodium azide). The washed cells were resuspended in thebuffer and incubated with PE-conjugated anti-human IgG (H+L) (JacksonImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc.) on ice for 30 min on ice. After theincubation, the cells were washed three times with the FACS buffer, andresuspended in the FACS buffer for analysis. The data are shown in Table2, in which HuAQC2-h1 refers to an mAb consisting of the h1 version ofthe huAQC2 heavy chain (HC) and the h1 version of the huAQC2 light chain(LC) (see Table 1). Likewise, huAQC-h2 is an mAb consisting of the h2versions of the heavy and light chains, huAQC2-c1 the c1 versions, andhuAQC2-c2 the c2 versions. In the table, relative MFI refers to mean MFInormalized to that observed for chAQC2 blocked. Data shown representsthe average from two independent transfections. These data indicatedthat the huAQC2-h2 and -c2 mAbs bound less well than huAQC2-h1 and -c1relative to chAQC2.

TABLE 2 FACS staining of K562α1 cells by chAQC2 and huAQC2 Light HeavyRelative chain chain MFI chAQC2 pAND102 pAND099 1.00 huAQC2-h1 pAND117pAND114 1.50 huAQC2-h2 pAND120 pAND124 0.64 huAQC2-c1 pAND122 pAND1141.50 huAQC2-c2 pAND123 pAND121 0.68 huAQC2 LC c1/HC c2 pAND122 pAND1212.21 huAQC2 LC c2/HC c1 pAND123 pAND114 0.76 huAQC2 LC unblocked c1/HCc2 pAND150* pAND121 0.75 huAQC2 LC L46P c2/HC c2 pAND133** pAND121 1.50huAQC2 LC L47W c2/HC c2 pAND132*** pAND121 1.00 *It encodes huAQC2 LC c1with an unblocked N-terminus Q1D. **It encodes huAQC2 LC c2 with L46P.***It encodes huAQC2 LC c2 with L47W.

Co-transfections of 293-EBNA cells with chAQC2 and huAQC2h1, -h2, -c1and -c2 were scaled up. Antibodies in the conditioned media werepurified with Protein A-Sepharose. Purified mAbs were assayed by FACSfor activity. The protocol as follows.

-   -   1. Count cells from flask that was split 1:4 on the day prior to        the assay.    -   2. Pellet cells and resuspend at 2.5e5 cells/ml in FACS buffer        (5% FBS in PBS with 0.02% NaAzide).    -   3. Pipette 100 μl of cells into the wells of a 96 well V bottom        plate.    -   4. Prepare 1:3 serial dilutions of AQC2 starting at 3 μg/ml in        FACS buffer.    -   5. Pellet the cells for 5 minutes at 800×g and flick plate to        remove buffer.    -   6. Resuspend the cells in 100 μl of the diluted antibody series.    -   7. Incubate for 2 hours on ice.    -   8. Wash plate. Pellet the cells for 3 minutes at 800×g and flick        plate to remove buffer.    -   9. Resuspend the cells in 100 μl of secondary antibody (diluted        1:100 in FACS buffer).    -   10. Incubate for 30 minutes on ice.    -   11. Wash plate (see above).    -   12. Resuspend cells in 25 μl of FACS buffer.    -   13. Centrifuge the FACS tubes briefly to ensure that the 50 μl        is in the bottom of the tubes.    -   14. Vortex each tube vigorously and collect 5000 events.

The data are shown in FIG. 17. These data confirmed that huAQC2-h2 and-c2 bound less well than huAQC2-h1 and c1 relative to chAQC2.

The consensus versions of huAQC2 were studied further because they wouldbe less immunogenic when used to treat patients with chronicindications. Mix-and-match cotransfections were performed to identifywhether a single chain was responsible for the apparent decrease inbinding seen with huAQC2-c2. The co-transfections suggested that thereduction could be attributed to the c2 light chain (encoded bypAND123), which differed from the c1 light chain (encoded by pAND122) atonly two residues in the FR region: P46L and W47L.

To examine the individual contributions of each of these two changes,new c2 light chain expression vectors were constructed. Plasmid pAND125,the LA7W variant of the c2 light chain was made using pAND119 as atemplate with the following mutagenic primer: FR2 primer 5′ GGG AAA GCACCC AAA CTC TGG ATC TAT CTC ACA TCC AAC 3′ (SEQ ID NO:36), whichintroduced HhaI and HaeII sites. Plasmid pAND126, the L46P variant ofthe c2 light chain, was made by using pAND119 as a template with thefollowing mutagenic primer: FR2 primer 5′ AAG CCC GGG AAG GCG CCC AAACCC CTG ATT TAT CTC ACA TCC AAC 3′ (SEQ ID NO:37), which introducedBsaHI, BanI, and NarI sites. Expression vectors for these new huAQC2light chains were made by subcloning the 0.44 kb NotI-BglII light chainvariable domain fragment from pAND125 or pAND126, and the 0.68 kbBclI-NotI fragment from pEAG963 (supra) into the NotI site of pCH269(supra). The resultant plasmids were designated pAND132 (c2 with L47W)(SEQ ID NO:47), and pAND133 (c2 with L46P) (SEQ ID NO:70), respectively.

Co-transfections of the new light chain plasmids with each of the huAQC2heavy chain plasmids were performed. VLA-1 binding was examined by FACS.The data demonstrate that the L47W back mutation failed to improvebinding. The LA6P mutation improved the peak of the binding curve, butthe EC50 was still right-shifted relative to the behavior of huAQC2version 1 (Table 2, supra). These results suggested that both backmutations were needed for full binding activity.

A genetically unblocked c1 light chain was also made, since the Q1Dvariant would be one residue more “humanized.” The Q1D mutant,designated pAND148, was made with the template pAND118 with thefollowing mutagenic primer: FR1 primer 5′GTC ATA ATG TCC CGG GGA GAT ATCCAG CTC ACC CAG TCT 3′ (SEQ ID NO:38), which introduced a new EcoRI siteand removed an ApoI site. An expression vector for this last variant ofthe huAQC2 light chain was made by subcloning the 0.44 kb NotI-BglIIlight chain variable domain fragment from pAND148 and the 0.68 kbBclI-NotI fragment from pEAG963 into the NotI site of pCH269, producingthe light chain expression vector pAND150 (c1 with unblocked N-terminusQ1D). Co-expression of the genetically unblocked light chain with the c2heavy chain (i.e., “huAQC2 LC c1 unblocked/HC c2”; designated huAQC2c4)was equivalent to that of “huAQC2 LC c1/HC c2” (designated ashuAQC2-c3). VLA-1 binding was confirmed by FACS on VLA1-expressingK562α1 cells (Table 2).

Co-transfections of 293EBNA cells with chAQC2 and huAQC2h1, -h2, -c1,-c2, -c3, and -c4 Antibodies in the conditioned media were purified onProtein A-Sepharose. The purified mAbs were assayed for activity (FIGS.17 and 18). HuAQC2-c3 was chosen as the drug candidate, since itsproperties were more similar to chAQC2. Vectors were then designed forstable expression of huAQC2-c3 in CHO cells. The vectors contained acDNA for the huAQC2 c1 LC or c2 HC, with the 5′ and 3′ UTRs eliminatedand the heavy chain C-terminal lysine genetically deleted to ensureproduct homogeneity. The final vectors were pAND162 (light chain),pAND160 (heavy chain). As used herein, huAQC2-c3 is also called hAQC2.

The full polypeptide sequences of hAQC2 are as follows.

Light Chain (Plasmid: pAND162)

(SEQ ID NO: 3) 1 QIQLTQSPSS LSASVGDRVT ITCSASSSVN HMFWYQQKPG KAPKPWIYLT51 SNLASGVPSR FSGSGSGTDY TLTISSLQPE DFATYYCQQW SGNPWTFGQG 101TKVEIKRTVA APSVFIFPPS DEQLKSGTAS VVCLLNNFYP REAKVQWKVD 151NALQSGNSQE SVTEQDSKDS TYSLSSTLTL SKADYEKHKV YACEVTHQGL 201 SSPVTKSNR GECHeavy Chain (Plasmid: pAND160) (SEQ ID NO:4)

(SEQ ID NO: 4) 1 EVQLVFSGGG LVQPGGSLRL SCAASGFTFS RYTMSWVRQA PGKGLEWVAT51 ISGGGHTYYL DSVKGRFTIS RDNSKNTLYL QMNSLRAEDT AVYYCTRGFG 101DGGYFDVNGQ GTLVTVSSAS TKGPSVFPLA PSSKSTSGGT AALGCLVKDY 151FPEPVTVSWN SGALTSGVHT PPAVLQSSGL YSLSSVVTVP SSSLGTQTYI 201CNVNHKPSNT KVDKKVEPKS CDKTHTCPPC PAPELLGGPS VFLFPPKPKD 251TLMISRTPEV TCVVVDVSHE DPEVKFNWYV DGVEVHNAKT KPREEQYNST 301YRVVSVLTVL HQDWLNGKEY KCKVSNKALP APIEKTISKA KGQPREPQVY 351TLPPSRDELT KHQVSLTCLV KGFYPSDTAV EWESNGQPEN NYKTTPPVLD 401SDGSFFLYSK LTVDKSRWQQ GNVFSCSVMH EALHNHYTQK SLSLSPG

Other heavy and light chain polypeptide and nucleotide sequences areshown below.

A. chAQC2 heavy chain (Pand099) (SEQ ID NOs:39 and 40. The former Norefers to the nucleotide sequence and the latter to the polypeptidesequence. The same order is used in the following numbering.)

  1 GACGTCAAGGTGGTGGAGTCAGGGGGAGGCTTAGTGAAGCCTGGAGGGTCCCTGAAACTC D V K V V E S G G G L V K P G G S L K L  61GCCTGTGCAGCCTCTGGATTCAGTTTCAGTAGATATACTATGTCTTGGGTTCGCCAGATT A C A A S G F S F S R Y T M S W V R Q I 121CCGGAGAAGAGGCTGGAGTGGGTCGCAACCATTAGTGGTGGTGGTCACACCTACTATCTA P E K R L E W V A T I S G G G H T Y Y L 181GACAGTGTGAAGGGCCGATTCACCATCTCCAGAGACAATGCCAAGAACACCCTGTACCTG D S V K G R F T I S R D N A K N T L Y L 241CAAATGAGCAGTCTGAGGTCTGAGGACACAGCCATGTATTACTGTACAAGAGGTTTTGGA Q M S S L R S E D T A M Y Y C T R G F G 301GACGGGGGGTACTTCGATGTCTGGGGCCAAGGGACCACGGTCACCGTCTCCTC A D G G Y F D V W G Q G T T V T V S SB. hAQC2 HC h1 and c1 (pAND114) (SEQ ID NOs:41 and 42)

  1 GACGTCCAGCTGGTCGACTCAGGGGGAGGCTTAGTCCAGCCTGGAGGGTCCCTGAGACTC D V Q L V E S G G G L V Q P G G S L R L  61TCCTGTGCACCCTCTGGATTCAGTTTCAGTAGATATACTATGTCTTGGGTTCGCCAGGCT S C A A S G F S F S R Y T M S W V R Q A 121CCGGGGAAGGGGCTGGAGTGGGTCGCAACCATTAGTGGTGGTGGTCACACCTACTATCTA P G K G L E W V A T I S G G G H T Y Y L 181GACAGTGTGAAGGGCCGATTCACCATCTCCAGAGACAATTCCAAGAACACCCTGTACCTG D S V K G R F T I S R D N S K N T L Y L 241CAGATGAACAGTCTGAGGGCCGAGGACACAGCCGTGTATTACTGTACAAGAGGTTTTGGA Q M N S L R A E D T A V Y Y C T R G F G 301GACGGGGGGTACTTCGATGTCTGGGGCCAAGGTACCCTGGTCACCGTCTCCTCA D G G Y F D V W G Q G T L V T V S SC. hAQC2 h2 heavy chain (pAND124) (SEQ ID NOs:43 and 44)

  1 GAGGTCCAGCTGGTCGAGTCAGGGGGAGGCTTAATCCAGCCTGGAGGGTCCCTGAGACTC E V Q L V E S G G G L I Q P G G S L R L  61TCCTGTGCAGCCTCTGGATTCACCTTCAGTAGGTATACTATGTCTTGGGTTCGCCAGGCT S C A A S G F T F S R Y T M S W V R Q A 121CCGGGGAAGGGGCTGGAGTGGGTCGCAACCATTAGTGGTGGTGGTCACACCTACTATCTA P G K G L E W V A T I S G G G H T Y Y L 181GACAGTGTGAAGGGCCGATTCACCATCTCCAGAGACAATTCCAAGAACACCCTGTACCTG D S V K G R F T I S R D N S K N T L Y L 241CAGATGAACAGTCTGAGGGCCGAGGACACAGCCGTGTATTACTGTACAAGAGGTTTTGGA Q M N S L R A E D T A V Y Y C T R G F G 301GACGGGGGGTACTTCGATGTCTGGGGCCAAGGTACCCTGGTCACCGTCTCCTCAGG D G G Y F D V W G Q G T L V T V S SD. hAQC2 c2 heavy chain (pAND121) (SEQ ID NOs:45 and 68)

  1 GAGGTCCAGCTGGTCGAGTCAGGGGGAGGCTTAGTCCAGCCTGGAGGGTCCCTGAGACTC E V Q L V E S G G G L V Q P G G S L R L  61TCCTGTGCAGCCTCTGGATTCACCTTCAGTAGGTATACTATGTCTTGGGTTCGCCAGGCT S C A A S G F T F S R Y T M S W V R Q A 121CCGGGGAAGGGGCTGGAGTGGGTCGCAACCATTAGTGGTGGTGGTCACACCTACTATCTA P G K G L E W V A T I S G G G H T Y Y L 181GACAGTGTGAAGGGCCGATTCACCATCTCCAGAGACAATTCCAAGAACACCCTGTACCTG D S V K G R F T I S R D N S K N T L Y L 241CAGATGAACAGTCTGAGGGCCGAGGACACAGCCGTGTATTACTGTACAAGAGGTTTTGGA Q M N S L R A E D T A V Y Y C T R G F G 301GACGGGGGGTACTTCGATGTCTGGGGCCAAGGTACCCTGGTCACCGTCTCCTCAGG D G G Y F D V W G Q G T L V T V S SE. chAQC2 blocked light chain (Pand102) (SEQ ID NOs:46 and 1)

  1 CAAATTGTTCTCACCCAGTTTCCAGCACTCATGTCTGCGTCTCCAGGGGAGAAGCTCACC Q I V L T Q F P A L M S A S P G E K V T  61ATGACCTGCAGTGCCAGCTCAAGTGTAAATCACATGTTCTGGTATCAGCAGAAGCCAAAA M T C S A S S S V N H M F W Y Q Q K P K 121TCCTCCCCCAAACCCTGGATTTATCTCACATCCAACCTGGCTTCTGGAGTCCCTGCTCGC S S P K P W I Y L T S N L A S G V P A R 181TTCAGTGGCAGTGGGTCTGGGACCTCTTACTCTCTCACAATCAGCAGCATGGAGGCTGAA F S G S G S G T S Y S L T I S S M E A E 241GATGCTGCCACTTATTACTGCCAGCAGTGGAGTGGTAACCCGTGGACGTTCGGTGGAGGC D A A T Y Y C Q Q W S G N P W T F G G G 301ACCAAGCTGGAGATCAAA T K L E I KF. hAQC2 h1 light chain (pAND117) (SEQ ID NOs:48 and 49)

  1 CAAATTGTTCTCACCCAGTCTCCATCCTCCCTGTCTGCGTCTGTAGGgGACAGAGTCACC Q I V L T Q S P S S L S A S V G D R V T  61ATCACATGCAGTGCCAGCTCAAGTGTAAATCACATGTTCTGGTATCAGCAGAAGCCCGGG I T C S A S S S V N H M F W Y Q Q K P G 121AAAGCCCCCAAACCCTGGATTTATCTCACATCCAACCTGGCTTCTGGAGTCCCTTCACGC K A P K P W I Y L T S N L A S G V P S R 181TTCAGTGGCAGTGGGTCTGGGACAGATTACACTCTCACAATCAGCAGCCTGCAACCTGAA F S G S G S G T D Y T L T I S S L Q P E 241GATTTTGCCACTTATTACTGCCAGCAGTGGAGTGGTAACCCGTGGACGTTCGGTGGAGGC D F A T Y Y C Q Q W S G N P W T F G G G 301ACTAAGGTGGAGATCAAA T K V E I KG. hAQC2 h2 light chain (pAND120) (SEQ ID NOs:50 and 51)

  1 CAAATTGTTCTCACCCAGTCTCCATCCTCCCTGTCTGCGTCTGTAGGGGACAGAGTCACC Q I V L T Q S P S S L S A S V G D R V T  61ATCACATGCAGTGCCAGCTCAAGTGTAAATCACATGTTCTGGTATCAGCAGAAGCCCGGG I T C S A S S S V N H M F W Y Q Q K P G 121AAAGCGCCCAAACTCCTGATTTATCTCACATCCAACCTGGCTTCTGGAGTCCCTTCACGC K A P K L L I Y L T S N L A S G V P S R 181TTCAGTGGCAGTGGGTCTGGGACAGATTACACTCTCACAATCAGCAGCCTGCAACCTGAA F S G S G S G T D Y T L T I S S L Q P E 241GATTTTGCCACTTATTACTGCCAGCAGTGGAGTGGTAACCCGTGGACGTTCGGTGGAGGC D F A T Y Y C Q Q W S G N P W T F G G G 301ACTAAGGTGGAGATCAAA T K V E I KH. hAQC2 c1 light chain (pAND122) (SEQ ID NOs:52 and 66)

  1 CAAATTCAGCTCACCCAGTCTCCATCCTCCCTGTCTGCGTCTGTAGGGGACAGAGTCACC Q I Q L T Q S P S S L S A S V G D R V T  61ATCACATGCAGTGCCAGCTCAAGTGTAAATCACATGTTCTGGTATCAGCAGAAGCCCGGG I T C S A S S S V N H M F W Y Q Q K P G 121AAAGCCCCCAAACCCTGGATTTATCTCACATCCAACCTGGCTTCTGGAGTCCCTTCACGC K A P K P W I Y L T S N L A S G V P S R 181TTCACTGGCAGTGGGTCTGGGACAGATTACACTCTCACAATCAGCAGCCTGCAACCTGAA F S G S G S G T D Y T L T I S S L Q P E 241GATTTTGCCACTTATTACTGCCAGCAGTGGAGTGGTAACCCGTGGACGTTCGGTCAGGGC D F A T Y Y C Q Q W S G N P W T F G Q G 301ACTAAGGTGGAGATCAAA T K V E I KI. hAQC2 c2 light chain (pAND123) (SEQ ID NOs:53 and 54)

  1 CAAATTCAGCTCACCCAGTCTCCATCCTCCCTGTCTGCGTCTGTAGGGGACAGAGTCACC Q I Q L T Q S P S S L S A S V G D R V T  61ATCACATGCAGTGCCAGCTCAAGTGTAAATCACATGTTCTGGTATCAGCAGAAGCCCGGG I T C S A S S S V N H M F W Y Q Q K P G 121AAAGCGCCCAAACTCCTGATTTATCTCACATCCAACCTGGCTTCTGGAGTCCCTTCACGC K A P K L L I Y L T S N L A S G V P S R 181TTCAGTGGCAGTGGGTCTGGGACAGATTACACTCTCACAATCAGCAGCCTGCAACCTGAA F S G S G S G T D Y T L T I S S L Q P E 241GATTTTGCCACTTATTACTGCCAGCAGTGGAGTGGTAACCCGTGGACGTTCGGTCAGGGC D F A T Y Y C Q Q W S G N P W T F G Q G 301ACTAAGGTGGAGATCAAA T K V E I KJ. chAQC2 unblocked light chain (pAND098) (SEQ ID NOs:55 and 56)

  1 GAAATTGTTCTCACCCAGTTTCCAGCACTCATGTCTGCGTCTCCAGGGGAGAAGGTCACC E I V L T Q F P A L M S A S P G E K V T  61ATGACCTGCAGTGCCAGCTCAAGTGTAAATCACATGTTCTGGTATCAGCAGAAGCCAAAA M T C S A S S S V N H M F W Y Q Q K P K 121TCCTCCCCCAAACCCTGGATTTATCTCACATCCAACCTGGCTTCTGGAGTCCCTGCTCGC S S P K P W I Y L T S N L A S G V P A R 181TTCAGTGGCAGTGGGTCTGGGACCTCTTACTCTCTCACAATCAGCAGCATGGAGGCTGAA F S G S G S G T S Y S L T I S S M E A E 241GATGCTGCCACTTATTACTGCCAGCAGTGGAGTGGTAACCCGTGGACGTTCGGTGGAGGC D A A T Y Y C Q Q W S G N P W T F G G G 301ACCAAGCTGGAGATCAAA T K L E I KK. huAQC2 unblocked c1 light chain (pAND150) (SEQ ID NOs:57 and 58)

  1 GATATCCAGCTCACCCAGTCTCCATCCTCCCTGTCTGCGTCTGTAGGGGACAGAGTCACC D I Q L T Q S P S S L S A S V G D R V T  61ATCACATGCAGTGCCAGCTCAAGTGTAAATCACATGTTCTGGTATCAGCAGAAGCCCGGG I T C S A S S S V N H M F W Y Q Q K P G 121AAAGCCCCCAAACCCTGGATTTATCTCACATCCAACCTGGCTTCTGGAGTCCCTTCACGC K A P K P W I Y L T S N L A S G V P S R 181TTCAGTGGCAGTGGGTCTGGGACAGATTACACTCTCACAATCAGCAGCCTGCAACCTGAA F S G S G S G T D Y T L T I S S L Q P E 241GATTTTGCCACTTATTACTGCCAGCAGTGGAGTGGTAACCCGTGGACGTTCGGTCAGGGC D F A T Y Y C Q Q W S G N P W T F G Q G 301ACTAAGGTGGAGATCAAA T K V E I K

Example 22

This example describes the characterization of various AQC2 antibodiesof the invention.

Solid-phase assay for α1 I domain binding. Fifty μl of 10 mg/ml α1 Idomain-GST fusion protein was added to a CORNING COSTAR EASY WASHpolystyrene 96-well plate (Gotwals et al., Biochemistry, 38, 8280-8(1999)). Following incubation at 4° C. for 16 hrs, the plate was washedfour times with 350 μl of 0.1% Tween-20 in PBS in a plate washer. Theplate was blocked by addition of 180 μl of 3% BSA in TBS at 25° C. for60 min, and then washed as above. Dilutions of antibodies (50 μl/well)in TBS containing 1 mg/ml BSA (assay buffer) were prepared in a 96-wellroundbottom plate, transferred to the α1 I domain-coated plate, andincubated for 60 min at 25° C. Following a final wash, 100 μl/well ofTMB reagent (Pierce) was added. After 10 min, 100 μl of 1 M sulfuricacid was added, and the absorbance at 450 nm was read on a UV-Vis96-well spectrophotometer.

Electrochemiluminescence assays for binding of α1β1 integrin or α1 Idomain to collagen. Tosyl-activated DYNABEADS M-280 (Dynal, Inc.) werecoated with 100 μg/ml type IV collagen (Sigma) according to themanufacturer's instructions. Cell lysates from α1-transfected K562 cellswere prepared as follows. Cells were collected by centrifugation,resuspended at 10⁸ cells/ml in a lysis buffer containing 25 mM Tris, pH7.4, 1% NP-40, 1 mM CaCl.sub.2, 1 mM MnCl.sub.2, 1 mM MgCl.sub.2, 2%BSA, and 1 mM PMSF, and incubated at 4° C. for 60 ruin. Cell debris wasremoved by centrifugation at 12,000 rpm for 30 min and the resultingsupernatant was used in subsequent experiments. Anti-β1 activatingantibody TS2/16 and polyclonal anti-GST antibody (Pharmacia) werelabeled with TAG-NHS ester (IGEN International, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md.)according to the manufacturer's instructions. Labeled antibodies werepurified by gel filtration chromatography on SEPHADEX G25M (Pharmacia).

To carry out the binding assay, collagen-coated beads (1 mg/ml) wereblocked for 5 min with 8% Lewis rat plasma in an assay buffer containing50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, and 0.1% Triton X-100. For the α1β1binding assay, serial dilutions of antibodies were incubated with 10 μgof beads, cell lysate prepared from 10⁵ α1-transfected K562 cells(supra), and 0.1 μg/ml of TAG-TS2/16 in an assay buffer containing 1 mMMnCl₂. For the α1 I domain binding assay, the antibodies were incubatedwith 10 μg of beads, 0.1 μg/ml α1 I domain GST fusion protein, and 1μg/ml of TAG-anti-GST in an assay buffer containing 1 mM MnCl₂. Afterone to two hours of agitation at room temperature, 200 μl of the assaybuffer was added and the samples were read on an ORIGEN 1.5electrochemiluminescence detector (IGEN). Plots are presented witharbitrary electrochemiluminescence units (ECL) on the ordinate axis.

Biotinylated mAQC2 competition assay. A 96-well plate was coated with 50μl of 5 μg/ml α1 I domain GST fusion protein and blocked with 3% BSA inTBS as described above. Dilutions of antibodies (60 μl/well) in theassay buffer were prepared in a 96-well roundbottom plate, and 60 μl of0.1 μg/ml biotinylated murine AQC2 in the assay buffer was added. Fiftymicroliters from each well was transferred to the coated plate andincubated for 3 hrs at 25° C. The plate was then washed as above, 50 μlof 1 μg/ml peroxidase-conjugated EXTRAVIDIN (Sigma) was added, and theplate was incubated another 2 hrs at 25° C. After a final wash, 100μl/well of TMB reagent (Pierce) was added. After 10 min, 100 μl of 1 Msulfuric acid was added, and the absorbance at 450 nm was read on aUV-Vis 96-well spectrophotometer.

Experimental results. The experimental results are shown in FIGS. 16A-Dand Table 3. The ability of mAQC2, chAQC2, hAQC2, and hAQC2′ (i.e.,huAQC2-c4; differing from hAQC2 only in that residue 1 of the hAQC2′light chain was D instead of Q) to (1) bind to human α1-transfected K562cells (by FACS); (2) bind to immobilized α1-I domain (by ELISA); (3)compete with mAQC2 for binding to α1-I domain (ELISA); (4) block α1β1domain binding to collagen (Electrochemiluminescence assay); or (5)block a α1β1 integrin binding to collagen (Electrochemiluminescenceassay) was determined. The results are shown in FIGS. 16A-D, andcalculated IC50 (for inhibition) or EC50 (for binding) values are givenin Table 3. In each assay, each of the humanized AQC2 forms showed asimilar ability to either bind VLA1 (or the α1 domain) or block bindingto collagen (Note that in panel C, the observed difference in intensitybetween mAQC2 and the humanized forms derives from the use of ananti-murine-IgG secondary antibody, instead of an anti-human-IgG).

TABLE 3 Summary of assay results (all values in nM) Competition VLA1 α1Iwith biotin- FACS Inhibition Inhibition ELISA AQC2 Antibody (EC50)(IC50) (IC50) (EC50) (IC50) mAQC2 n.d. 0.0726 0.029 0.061 38 (±8.7)(±0.014) (±0.011) (±0.015) Chimera 0.25 0.071 0.027 0.176 30 (±6.9)(±0.002) (±0.007) (±0.058) hAQC2 0.29 0.129 0.035 0.190 65 (±2.2)(±0.005) (±0.005) (±0.010) hAQC2′ 0.43 0.125 0.037 0.313  69 (±25.7)(±0.018) (±0.001) (±0.072)

We next tested whether changes at certain conservative residues in theCDRs could preserve the VLA-1 binding activity of hAQC2, DNA constructsencoding variants of hAQC2 with the following mutations were made bysite-directed mutagenesis: (1) G55S in the heavy chain CDR2; (2) S24N inthe light chain CDR1 (introducing an occupied N-linked glycosylationsite); (3) G92S in the light chain CDR3; (4) a combination of (1) and(2); and (5) a combination of (1) and (3). The DNA constructs encodingboth the heavy and light chains were then co-transfected into 293-EBNAcells, and the conditioned medium of the transfectants was assayed forantibody expression by Western blot and ELISA. The results indicatedthat the hAQC2 variants were expressed as efficiently as cognate h-AQC2.FACS analysis using VLA-1-expressing K562 cells further showed that theVLA-1 binding activities of these variants were similar to hAQC2 itself.In sum, the amino acid substitutions did not alter the VLA-1 bindingactivity of hAQC2. Indeed, X-ray crystal structure of the RΔH/hAQC2 Fabcomplex (infra) shows that S24 and G92 of the light chain and G55 of theheavy chain are not in the binding pocket that is in contact with theα1-I domain.

Example 23

The effector functions of an immunoglobulin couple the immunoglobulin'santigen-binding activity to the inflammatory, cytotoxic and stimulatoryarms of the immune system. Effector functions may impair the safety andefficacy of an immunoglobulin therapeutic product. To reduce thepotential effector functions of h-AQC2, mutations of L234A and L235Awere made to its heavy chain to generate hsAQC2. For the same reason, asingle mutation of N298Q (numbering according to SEQ ID NO:5) was madein the heavy chain of hAQC2 to generate an aglycosylated form of hAQC2,named haAQC2. Studies can be done to compare their efficacy, residualeffector function, stability and immunogenicity to cognate hAQC2. Unlessotherwise indicated, residue position numbers in constant regions asused herein are designated in accordance with the EU numberingconvention.

The heavy chain polypeptide sequence of haAQC2 is as follows (Plasmid:pAND161):

(SEQ ID NO: 5) 1 EVQLVESGGG LVQPGGSLRL SCAASGFTFS RYTMSWVRQA PGKGLEWVAT51 ISGGGHTYYL DSVKGRFTIS RDNSKNTLYL QMNSLRAEDT AVYYCTRGFG 101DGGYFDVWGQ GTLVTVSSAS TKGPSVFPLA PSSKSTSGGT AALGCLVKDY 151FPEPVTVSWN SGALTSGVHT FPAVLQSSGL YSLSSVVTVP SSSLGTQTYI 201CNVNHKPSNT KVDKKVEPKS CDKTHTCPPC PAPELLGGPS VFLFPPKPKD 251TLMISRTPEV TCVVVDVSHE DPEVKFNWYV DGVEVHNAKT KPREEQYQST 301YRVVSVLTVL HQDWLNGKEY KCKVSNKALP APIEKTISKA KGQPREPQVY 351TLPPSRDELT KNQVSLTCLV KGFYPSDIAV EWESNGQPEN NYKTTPPVLD 401SDGSFFLYSK LTVDKSRWQQ GNVFSCSVMH EALHNHYTQK SLSLSPG

The heavy chain polypeptide sequence of hsAQC2 is as follows (Plasmid:pAND171):

(SEQ ID NO: 6) 1 EVQLVESGGG LVQPGGSLRL SCAASGFTFS RYTMSWVRQA PGKGLEWVAT51 ISGGGHTYYL DSVKGRFTIS RDNSKNTLYL QMNSLRAEDT AVYYCTRGFG 101DGGYPDVWCQ GTLVTVSSAS TKGPSVFPLA PSSKSTSGGT AALGCLVKDY 151FPEPVTVSWN SGALTSGVHT FPAVLQSSGL YSLSSVVTVP SSSLGTQTYI 201CNVNHKPSNT KVDKKVEPKS CDKTHTCPPC PAPEAAGGPS VFLFPPKPKD 251TLMISRTPEV TCVVVDVSHE DPEVKFNWYV DGVEVHNAKT KPREEQYNST 301YRVVSVLTVL HQDWLNGKEY KCKVSNKALP APIEKTISKA KGQPREPQVY 351TLPPSRDELT KNQVSLTCLV KGFYPLDIAV EWESNGQPEN NYKTTPPVLD 401SDGSFFLYSK LTVDKSRWQQ GNVFSCSVMH EALHNHYTQK SLSLSPG

Example 24

This example describes a method for determining the crystal structure ofthe complex of a rat/human chimeric α1-I domain of the α1β1 integrin andthe hAQC2 Fab fragment.

Preparation of the Protein Complex

The hAQC2 Fab fragment was prepared from hAQC2 antibody using avariation of the procedure of the IMMUNOPURE® Fab preparation kit(Cat#44885, Pierce, Rockford, Ill.). The intact hAQC2 antibody wasconcentrated to 12 mg/ml in a buffer containing 20 mM phosphate, 10 mMEDTA and 25 mM cysteine (pH 7.0). Immobilized papain was added at anenzyme to substrate ratio of 1:50, and digestion was allowed to occurovernight at 37° C. The immobilized papain was removed and the crudedigest was dialyzed against 20 mM sodium acetate buffer (pH 4.5). TheFab fragment was separated from residual intact antibody, dimeric Fabfragment, and Fc fragment by cation exchange chromatography using aS-column (Poros HS/M, PERSEPTIVE Biosystems #PO42M26) with a shallowsalt gradient. The Fab fragment was then exchanged into 0.1 M Hepesbuffer (pH 8.0).

The chimeric α1-I domain used in the present invention is a rat/humanchimeric I domain construct (mutant RΔH) containing residuesThr145-Phe336 of the rat α1 integrin chain, where residues Gly217,Arg218, Gln219 and Leu222 (crystal numbering) have been substituted withequivalent human residues Val, Gln, Arg and Arg, respectively, in orderto restore antibody binding. The amino acid sequences of chimeric RΔH,rat, and human α1-I domains are given below in SEQ ID NOs:59, 60 and 61,respectively. Recombinant α1-I domain was expressed in E. coli as aGST-fusion protein. The RΔH α1-I domain was cleaved with thrombin andpurified from a Pichia pastoris clone as described previously (Gotwalset al., 1999, Biochemistry 38:8280-8288).

(SEQ ID NO: 59) 145 TQLDIV 151IVLDGSNSIY PWESVIAFLN DLLKRMDIGP KQTQVGIVQY 191GENVTHEFNL NKYSSTEEVL VAANKIVQRG GRQTMTALGI 231DTARKEAFTE ARGARRGVKK VMVIVTDGES HDNYRLKQVI 271QDCEDENIQR FSIAILGHYN RGNLSTEKFV EEIKSIASEP 311TEKHFFNVSD ELALVTIVKA LGERIF (SEQ ID NO: 60) 145 TQLDIV 151IVLDGSNSIY PWESVIAFLN DLLKRMDIGP KQTQVGIVQY 191GENVTHEFNL NKYSSTEEVL VAANKIGRQG GLQTMTALGI 231DTARKEAFTE ARGARRGVKK VMVIVTDGES HDNYRLKQVI 271QDCEDENIQR FSIAILGHYN RGNLSTEKFV EEIKSIASEP 311TEKHFFNVSD ELALVTIVKA LGERIF (SEQ ID NO: 61) 145 TQLDIV 151IVLDGSNSIY PWDSVTAFLN DLLKRMDIGP KQTQVGIVQY 191GENVTHEFNL NKYSSTEEVL VAAKKIVQRG GRQTMTALGI 231DTARKEAFTE ARGARRGVKK VMVIVTDGES HDNHRLKKVI 271QDCEDENIQR FSIAILGSYN RGNLSTEKFV EEIKSIASEP 311TEKHFFNVSD EIALVTIVKT LGERIF

The hAQC2 Fab fragment was mixed with excess chimeric α1-I domain andincubated at 37° C. for 15 minutes. The saturated a1/Fab complexes wereseparated from uncomplexed α1-I domain by size exclusion chromatographyusing a S200 Sephacryl column (Pharmacia, Gibco). The complex wasfurther concentrated to 11 mg/ml in a 20 mM Tris (pH 7.4) 150 mM NaCl 1mM MnCl₂, 5 mM β-mercaptoethanol.

Preparation of Crystals

Crystallization conditions were found using the CRYSTAL SCREEN™ KITsfrom Hampton Research (Laguna Niguel, Calif.). Crystals of the complexdescribed above were grown at 20° C. by vapor diffusion using an equalamount of protein complex solution and a 20-30% PEG 1500 reservoirsolution. Typically, 2 μL of protein complex was added to 2 μL of wellsolution to yield drops of 4 μL. Crystals grew in two to seven days ashexagonal rods with dimensions 0.8×0.05×0.05 mm³. The presence of theα1-I domain and hAQC2 Fab fragment was confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis ofdissolved crystals. In order to reduce the inherent radiation damageduring data collection, X-ray diffraction data was collected atapproximately 100 K. To prepare the crystals for data collection at thislow temperature, crystals were gradually equilibrated into acryoprotectant solution containing 25% PEG 400 and 30% PEG 1500, andflash cooled in liquid nitrogen.

Structure Determination

Native X-ray diffraction data to 2.8 Å resolution were collected from asingle crystal at about 100 K using an ADSC Quantum 4 charged-coupleddevice detector at beamline X4A of the Brookhaven National Laboratory(BNL) National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS). Data was processed usingthe software programs DENZO and SCALEPACK (Otwinowski & Minor, 1997,Methods in Enzymol. 276:307-326). Crystals belonged to the space groupP6.sub.1 or its enantiomorph P6.sub.5, with unit cell dimensionsa=b=255.09 Å, c=38.64 Å. The data set was 96.6% complete and had anR-merge of 8.3%. The Matthews coefficient (Matthews, 1968, J. Mol. Biol.33:491-497) was 2.59 Å³ Da⁻¹ with a solvent content of 52.1%, whichindicated that there were two complexes in the asymmetric unit. The twocomplexes in the asymmetric unit were related by non-crystallographic2-fold symmetry. Data statistics are shown in Table 4.

Molecular replacement searches were done with the program AMoRe (Navaza,1994, Acta Cryst. A50:157-163) from the CCP4 program package(Collaborative Computational Project No. 4. The CCP4 Suite: programs forprotein crystallography. 1994, Acta Cryst. D50:760-763), and moleculargraphics manipulations were done with the program QUANTA. A single α1-Idomain from the structure of the rat α1-I domain of α1β1 integrin(Protein Data Bank (PDB) accession number 1ck4; Nolte et al., 1999, FEBSLett. 452:379-385) was used as a model or probe for rotation andtranslation searches. The translation function search indicated that the1^(st) and 9^(th) highest peaks of the rotation function corresponded tothe correct solutions for the two α1-I domains in the asymmetric unit(correlation coefficient (cc)=21.1%, R=53.1%) and that the space groupwas P6₅. Subsequently, searches for the hAQC2 Fab fragments were done,keeping the I domain solutions fixed and using a model of the Fv domainof the hAQC2 Fab as a search probe. A clear solution was found for oneof the two Fv domains (cc=22.1%, R=52.6%), but the second Fv could notbe located. The position of the second Fv was derived using thenon-crystallographic 2-fold symmetry. Rigid body refinement of the two Idomains and two Fv domains reduced the R-factor to 43.6% (R-free=42.7%).An 2Fo-Fc electron density map showed clear electron density for theconstant domain (Fconst) of the first Fab fragment, but no density forthe Fconst domain of the second Fab fragment. A model of the Fconstdomain of the first Fab was manually fit in the observed electrondensity. Subsequent rigid body refinement with the software program CNX(Accelrys Inc., San Diego, Calif. ©2000; Brunger, 1998, Acta Cryst.D54:905-921), using data in the 500-2.8 Å resolution range, optimizedthe position of all domains, reducing the R-factor to 39.7%(R-free=38.9%).

All subsequent refinement steps were carried out with the CNX program.To reduce model bias, partial models were used for 2Fo-Fc mapcalculation and model refinement. The initial partial model, wassubjected to simulated annealing and grouped B-factor refinement withnon-crystallographic symmetry restraints. The R-working and R-freefactors dropped to 28.3% and 32.9%, respectively. Several cyclesconsisting of iterative model building, maximum likelihood positionalrefinement and B-factor refinement followed. Only model adjustments thatresulted in a drop in the K-free factor were accepted. A bulk-solventcorrection was employed after the complete model was built. TheR-working and K-free factors of the final model are 21.3% and 27.2%,respectively for the data (F>26) in the 500-2.8 Å resolution range.

The final 2Fo-Fc electron density map is of good quality for most of thecomplex with the exception of amino acid residues 288-295 of one Idomain fragment (molecule A in FIG. 19) that are associated with weakelectron density and have not been included in the model. In addition,the entire constant domain of one Fab fragment has no visible electrondensity, which indicates that it is disordered. This appears to beconsequence of the absence of crystal contacts for the constant domainof the Fab fragment due to its position within a large solvent channel.This domain was also not included in the final model that consists of1030 amino acid residues, constituting 6 polypeptide chains, and 2manganese ions. The r.m.s. positional deviation between equivalentresidues from the two complexes in the asymmetric unit is small (0.37 Åfor 1660 equivalent main chain atoms). Stereochemistry statistics werecalculated with the software programs PROCHECK (Laskowski et al., 1993,J. Appl. Cryst. 26:283-291; Morris et al., 1992, Proteins 12:345-364)and CNX. Hydrogen bonds (<3.6 Å) were found with the program CONTACT(Tadeusz Skarzvnski, Imperial College, London, Jan. 12, 1988;Collaborative Computational Project No. 4. The CCP4 Suite: programs forprotein crystallography. 1994, Acta Cryst. D50, 760-763). Allnon-glycine residues (except residue Thr50 of the L chain that will bediscussed below) are in the allowed regions of the Ramachandran diagramand 86% of the residues are in the most favored regions. The averageB-factor of the main chain atoms is 38.5 A². Crystallographic analysisdata are in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Summary of Data Statistics and Crystallographic Analysis Datacollection Cell dimensions a, b, c (Å) 255.09, 255.09, 38.64 Space groupP6₅ Resolution (Å) 500-2.8 (2.9-2.8)^(†) Unique reflections 35275  Completeness (%) 96.6 (87.7)^(†) Average I/s 11.92 (2.29)^(†) Rmerge*(%) 8.3 (30.9)^(†) Model Number of non-H atoms 7950   Number of proteinresidues 1030   Contents of asymmetric unit 2 I domains, 1 Fab fragment,1 Fv domain Average B-factor (Å²) 38.5 Refinement Resolution range used(F > 2δ) 500-2.8 R-factor (R-working) (%) 21.3 R-free^(††) (%) 27.2Stereochemistry RMS deviations Bond lengths (Å)   0.007 Angles (°)  1.43*Rmerge = Σ_(h)Σ_(i)|I_(hi) − I_(h)|/Σ_(hi)I_(hi) ^(†)Values for thehighest resolution shell given in parenthesis. ^(††)8% of the data wereallocated for the calculation of R-free factor.

Example 25

This example describes the crystal structure of the complex of arat/human chimeric α1-I domain of the α1β1 integrin and the hAQC2 Fabfragment.

Architecture of Crystal Structure

The crystal structure of the complex of the rat/human chimeric α1-Idomain of the α1β1 integrin and the hAQC2 Fab fragment has an elongatedshape (FIG. 20). The dimensions of the complex are 100 Å×50 Å×35 Å.

The Fab fragment exhibits the typical immunoglobulin fold. The lightchain and heavy chains of the Fab fragment each form two broad sheets ofanti-parallel β-strands which pack tightly together to form a scaffoldfor the complementarity determining region (CDR) loops which extend fromthe packed sheets. Both the light chain and the heavy chain containthree CDR loops. The light chain loops are called L1, L2 and L3, whilethe heavy chain loops are referred to as H1, H2 and H3. Thecomplementarity determining region (CDR) loops correspond to canonicalstructure 1 for light chain L1, L2 and L3 loops and for heavy chain H1and H2 loops (Chothia et al., 1989, Nature 342:877-883). The heavy chainH3 loop has a tight β-hairpin-like conformation that is stabilized byinternal hydrogen bonds as well as two aromatic residues (Tyr104 andPhe105) that are packed against the light chain. Residue Thr50 of L2adopts mainchain dihedral angles that fall in the disallowed regions ofthe Ramachandran diagram. The same observation for the correspondingresidue has been made for other antibodies (Muller et al., 1998,Structure 6, pp. 1153-11567) which indicates that this is a naturalcharacteristic of L2 loops.

The α1-I domain in the present invention has a structure very similar tothe uncomplexed α1-I domain (PDB accession number 1ck4; Nolte et al.,1999, FEBS Lett. 452:379-385; PDB accession code 1qc5; Rich et al.,1999, J. Biol. Chem. 274:24906-24913). The I domain structure exhibits a“dinucleotide-binding” or “Rossman” fold (Rao & Rossman, 1973, J. Mol.Biol. 76:241-256) in which a central sheet of five parallel β-strandsand one small antiparallel-strand is surrounded on both sides by a totalof seven α-helices. The six β-strands of the structure in this inventionwill be referred to as βA, βB, βC, βD, βE, and βF and the sevenα-helices are called α1, α2, α3, α4, α5, α6 and α7.

Three characteristic structural features exist for 1 domains. The firstcharacteristic feature is the presence of an inserted small helix in theβE-α6 loop, termed as the C helix. Most of the C helix loop of moleculeA (FIG. 19) in the present invention is associated with weak electrondensity, which suggests disorder. This appears to be a consequence ofabsence of crystal contacts or contacts with the Fab that would havestabilized the loop. However, the same loop in molecule B (FIG. 19) inthe present invention has well-defined electron density and has beenincluded in the model. The second characteristic feature of α1-I domainsis the MIDAS or Metal-Ion-Dependent-Adhesion-Site where metal ions andligands are implicated to bind to the I domain. Five key residues whichform part of the MIDAS are referred to as the “DxSxS-T-D” motif. Theseresidues, which are completely conserved among I domains, coordinate themetal ion (Gotwals et al., 1999, Biochemistry 38:8280-8288). Thecrystals in the present invention were grown in the presence ofmanganese and the MIDAS site of the I domain in this structure isobserved to contain a Mn⁺² metal ion. The ion is directly coordinated bythe side chains of residues Ser156, Ser158 and Thr224. The 2Fo-Fcelectron density map shows no evidence that MIDAS residues Asp 154 andAsp257 make water-mediated indirect coordination of the metal ion (FIG.20). However, the apparent absence of water molecules could be aconsequence of the limited resolution (2.8 Å) of the electron densitymap. The third feature of X domains is that all determined structures ofI domains belong to one of two conformations called “open” and “closed”.The differences between the open and closed conformation include adifferent mode of metal ion coordination and a significant (about 10 Å)positional shift of the C-terminal helix of the I domain. The I domainin the complex in the present invention is in the closed conformation.

In the structure of the complex in the present invention, the Fabfragment binds to its epitope on the front upper surface of the I domainwith a footprint 35 Å by 30 Å. The total buried surface area in theantibody-antigen interface is 1534 .Å² which is typical of otherantibody-antigen complexes (Davies et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USA 93:7-12; Jones & Thornton, 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA93:13-20). The surface is 25% hydrophobic and 75% hydrophilic incharacter. The heavy chain contributes 65% of the buried surface areafor the complex, while the remaining 35% is contributed by the lightchain. The antibody epitope consists of residues located in four loopsof the I domain (Emsley et al., 2000, Cell 101:47-56). Three of theloops form the MIDAS site: loop 1 (βA-α1) which contains the conservedDXSXS sequence, loop 2 (α3-α4) which contains the MIDAS Thr224 and loop3 (βD-α5) that contains MIDAS residue Asp257. The fourth loop is theC-helix loop and is involved in only in minor contacts.

The central feature of the antigen-antibody interaction is thecoordination of the MIDAS site metal ion by Asp101 from the CDR H3 ofthe antibody (FIG. 20). The distance between the ion and Oδ1 of Asp101is 2.4 Å. In addition, the Oδ2 atom of Asp101 is interacting with His261of the I domain. Interestingly, the CDR H3 contains several glycineresidues adjacent to Asp101 (sequence GFGDGGY) (SEQ ID NO:62),presumably to allow enough flexibility to the CDR loop to permit propercoordination of the metal ion. The CDR H3 sequence is essentiallyinvariant in monoclonal antibodies that were raised against the sameantigen and found to belong in the same class. Most of the antibodyresidues that are involved in antibody-antigen contacts are located inL3, H1, H2 and H3CDR loops. A few residues from the L1 (Asn30) and L2(Tyr48) loops appear to form minor Van Der Waals contacts. L3 primarilycontributes to contacts through two large hydrophobic residues, Trp90and Trp95. In addition, Asn93 from L3 forms hydrogen bonds with Gln223of the I domain. The side chains of His56 and Tyr58 from the H2 loopform hydrogen bonds with main chain atoms of loop 2 of the I domain.Arg31 of H1 is in contact with Arg291 of loop 4 of the I domain. Arg222from loop 2 of the I domain is sandwiched between several antibodyresidues including Tyr58, Trp95 and Asn93. This is the only residue outof the four mutated in the RΔH I domain, that is involved in contactswith the Fab. It is therefore likely to be the only residue responsiblefor restoring the binding of the antibody after the mutagenesis.

Comparison of the Crystal Structure of the Complex of a Rat/HumanChimeric α1-I Domain and the hAQC2 Fab Fragment with Other I DomainStructures

The chimeric RΔH α1-I domain has four sequence differences with the ratα1-I domain (rat residues: 217G, 218R, 219Q and 222L), eight sequencedifferences with the human α1-I domain (human residues: 163D, 166T,214K, 264H, 268K, 288S, 322I and 380T), and ten sequence differenceswith the clone used in the crystal structure studies of human α1-Idomain (clone residues: 163D, 166T, 174E, 214K, 2301, 264H, 268K, 288S,322I and 380T). In the unliganded rat α1β1 α1-I domain crystal structure(PDB accession code 1ck4; Nolte et al., 1999, FEBS Lett. 452:379-385),the α1-I domain contains no bound metal ions and adopts the “closed”conformation. In the unliganded human α1-I domain crystal structure(accession code 1qc5; Rich et al., 1999, J. Biol. Chem.274:24906-24913), the α1-I domain contains bound Mg⁺² and similarlyadopts the closed conformation. Superimposition of these two structureswith the complexed chimeric α1-I domain indicates that there are onlyminor conformational changes upon hAQC2 antibody binding. The r.m.s.positional deviation between the rat and chimeric α1-I domain is 1.04 Åfor all 768 main chain atoms. The r.m.s. positional deviation betweenthe human and chimeric α1-I domain is 0.69 Å for all 764 main chainatoms. The biggest differences (human and chimeric α1-I domain pair) areobserved in loop 1 (r.m.s. deviations 1.24 Å for main chain atoms ofresidues 154-161) and the loop 4 (C helix loop) of the α1-I domain(r.m.s. deviations 1.55 Å for main chain atoms of residues 288-296).However, these differences can be more accurately described as shifts ofthe whole secondary structure elements rather than complexconformational changes. These are likely to be within the normal rangeof conformational flexibility of proteins. The r.m.s. positionaldeviation between the human and chimeric α1-I domain for backbone atomsof amino acid residues Glu192, Gln218, Arg219, Gly220, and Gly221(crystal numbering) is 0.33 Å. The r.m.s. positional deviation betweenthe rat and chimeric α1-I domain for backbone atoms of amino acidresidues Asp154, Ser156, Asn157, Ser158, Tyr160, Glu192, Gln218, Arg219,Gly220, Gly221, Arg222, Gln223, Thr224, Asp257, His261, Asn263, Arg291,and Leu294 (crystal numbering) is 0.97 Å.

The I domain maintains the “closed” I domain conformation that has beenobserved only for unliganded I domains crystallized in the absence ofligands or pseudo-ligands bound to the MIDAS site. The r.m.s. positionaldeviation of the C-terminal helices of the human and chimeric I domains(calculated for the main chain atoms of residues 321-335) is 0.64 Å. Asimulated annealing omit map calculated for the final refined modelunambiguously confirms that the position of the C-terminal helix andadjacent structural elements are consistent with the closedconformation.

In order to investigate the effects of ligand binding to the modes ofmetal ion coordination, the structure of the present invention wassuperimposed with the structures of the unliganded α2-I domain (PDBaccession code 1aox; Emsley et al., 1997, J. Biol. Chem.272:28512-28517) and the α2-I domain complexed with a collagen peptide(PDB accession code 1dzi; Emsley et al., 2000, Cell 101:47-56). Thecoordination of the metal ion by Asp101 from the antibody is remarkablysimilar to the coordination of the metal ion of the α2-I domain by aglutamic acid from the collagen peptide. Another feature that isconserved is the simultaneous interaction of the acidic group withHis261 (His258 in the α2-I domain). All MIDAS residues of the Idomain-Fab complex except Ser156 and Ser158 adopt conformations verysimilar to those observed in the unliganded I domain. In contrast, theside chains of Ser156 and Ser158, as well as the metal, adoptconformations similar with those of the liganded I domain. It is clearthat the coordination of the metal ion by Asp101 does not allow the ionto maintain the position and coordination distances that are observed inthe unliganded state. Thus, the metal ion is not directly coordinated byAsp257, a fact that permits the ion to maintain high electrophilicity.

Biological Implications

In the present invention, there is no direct coordination of the metalby Asp257, which may permit high affinity binding by lowering the energybarrier between a closed (no ligand bound) and open (ligand bound)conformation. However, the coordination of the metal by an aspartic acidfrom the antibody is not sufficient to induce the open conformation tothe I domain in the present invention. The I domain-Fab complexstructure indicates that it is possible to have strong binding to the Idomain that adopts the closed conformation and that coordination of themetal ion by an acidic residue from the ligand may be necessary but notsufficient to induce a conformational change to the open state. Bindingof the antibody is expected to stabilize the low affinity state of theintegrin and prevent the outside-in signaling that would haveaccompanied integrin binding to collagen.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity ofunderstanding, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatcertain changes and modifications will be practiced. Therefore, thedescription and examples should not be construed as limiting the scopeof the invention.

1-42. (canceled)
 43. A method of treating a subject having a skinrelated condition, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Graft versus hostdisease, or sarcoidosis, comprising administering to the subject acomposition comprising an anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen bindingfragment thereof, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein theantibody or antigen binding fragment thereof comprises light chaincomplementarity determining regions defined by amino acid residues 24 to33, 49 to 55 and 88 to 96 of SEQ ID NO:1, and heavy chaincomplementarity determining regions defined by amino acid residues 31 to35, 50 to 65 and 98 to 107 of SEQ ID NO:2.
 44. The method of claim 43,wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen binding fragment thereofcomprises a light chain variable domain sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 and aheavy chain variable domain sequence of SEQ ID NO:2.
 45. The method ofclaim 43, wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen binding fragmentthereof comprises the same heavy and light chain polypeptide sequencesas an antibody produced by hybridoma mAQC2 which is deposited under ATCCaccession number PTA3273.
 46. The method of claim 43, wherein theanti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof is a humanizedantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof.
 47. The method of claim43, wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen binding fragment thereofis a chimeric antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof.
 48. Themethod of claim 46 or claim 47, wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody orantigen binding fragment thereof comprises at least one of the followingresidues in its light chain: Q1, L4, P45, W46 and Y70 according to SEQID NO:1; or at least one of the following residues in its heavy chain:D1, V12, S28, F29, A49, T96, and R97 according to SEQ ID NO:2.
 49. Themethod of claim 46, wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen bindingfragment thereof comprises a light chain variable domain sequencedefined by amino acid residues 1 to 106 of SEQ ID NO:3, and a heavychain variable domain sequence defined by amino acid residues 1 to 118of SEQ ID NO:4.
 50. The method of claim 46, wherein the anti-VLA-1antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof comprises the same heavyand light chain polypeptide sequences as an antibody produced by cellline hAQC2 which is deposited under ATCC accession number PTA3275. 51.The method of claim 46, wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigenbinding fragment thereof comprises the same heavy and light polypeptidesequences as an antibody produced by cell line hsAQC2 which is depositedunder ATCC accession number PTA3356.
 52. The method of claim 46, whereinthe anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof comprisesthe same heavy and light chain polypeptide sequences as an antibodyproduced by cell line haAQC2 which is deposited under ATCC accessionnumber PTA3274.
 53. The method of claim 43, wherein the anti-VLA-1antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof comprises an antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof produced by cell line mAQC2 which isdeposited under ATCC accession number PTA3273.
 54. The method of claim46, wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen binding fragment thereofcomprises an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof produced bycell line hAQC2 which is deposited under ATCC accession number PTA3275.55. The method of claim 46, wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigenbinding fragment thereof comprises an antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof produced by cell line hsAQC2 which is deposited underATCC accession number PTA3356.
 56. The method of claim 46, wherein theanti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof comprises anantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof produced by cell linehaAQC2 which is deposited under ATCC accession number PTA3274.
 57. Themethod of claim 46, wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen bindingfragment thereof comprises a antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof that has an alanine at amino acid position 235 and an alanine atamino acid position 236 as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6.
 58. The method ofclaim 46, wherein the anti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen binding fragmentthereof comprises an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof thathas a glutamine at amino acid position 298 as set forth in SEQ ID NO:5.59. The method of claim 43, wherein the subject is a human.
 60. Themethod of claim 43, wherein the skin related condition is psoriasis. 61.The method of claim 43, wherein the subject has lupus nephritis.
 62. Amethod of treating a subject having skin related condition, systemiclupus erythematosus (SLE), Graft versus host disease, or sarcoidosis,comprising administering to the subject a composition comprising ananti-VLA-1 antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof, and apharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a light chain and a heavychain selected from one of the following light chain and heavy chainpairs: (i) a light chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, which has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:3, and a heavychain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,which has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:4; (ii) a light chain of ananti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whose lightchain variable domain has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:49, and a heavychain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,whose heavy chain variable domain has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:42;(iii) a light chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, whose light chain variable domain has the sequence ofSEQ ID NO:51, and a heavy chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, whose heavy chain variable domain hasthe sequence of SEQ ID NO:44; (iv) a light chain of an anti-VLA-1antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whose light chainvariable domain has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:54, and a heavy chain ofan anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whose heavychain variable domain has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:42; (v) a lightchain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,whose light chain variable domain has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:58, anda heavy chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, whose heavy chain variable domain has the sequence of SEQ IDNO:68; (vi) a light chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, whose light chain variable domain has the sequence ofSEQ ID NO:70, and a heavy chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, whose heavy chain variable domain hasthe sequence of SEQ ID NO:68; (vii) a light chain of an anti-VLA-1antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whose light chainvariable domain has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:66, and a heavy chain ofan anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whose heavychain variable domain has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:42; (viii) a lightchain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,whose light chain variable domain has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:54, anda heavy chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, whose heavy chain variable domain has the sequence of SEQ IDNO:68; (ix) a light chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, whose light chain variable domain has the sequence ofSEQ ID NO:47, and a heavy chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, whose heavy chain variable domain hasthe sequence of SEQ ID NO:68; (x) a light chain of an antibody producedby hybridoma mAQC2 (ATCC accession number PTA3273), and a heavy chain ofan antibody produced by hybridoma mAQC2 (ATCC accession number PTA3273);(xi) a light chain of an antibody produced by cell line hAQC2 (ATCCaccession number PTA3275), and a heavy chain of an antibody produced bycell line hAQC2 (ATCC accession number PTA3275); (xii) a light chain ofan antibody produced by cell line haAQC2 (ATCC accession numberPTA3274), and a heavy chain of an antibody produced by cell line haAQC2(ATCC accession number PTA3274); (xiii) a light chain of an antibodyproduced by cell line hsAQC2 (ATCC accession number PTA3356), and aheavy chain of an antibody produced by cell line hsAQC2 (ATCC accessionnumber PTA3356); or (xiv) a light chain of an anti-VLA-1 antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, whose light chain variable domain hasthe sequence of SEQ ID NO:66, and a heavy chain of an anti-VLA-1antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whose heavy chainvariable domain has the sequence of SEQ ID NO:68.
 63. The method ofclaim 62, wherein the subject is a human.
 64. The method of claim 62,wherein the skin related condition is psoriasis.
 65. The method of claim62, wherein the subject has lupus nephritis.